Hybrid
by eveningspirit1
Summary: What did Leoben want, when he came to Kara's tent?... Set after Season Two finale. FINAL CHAPTER!
1. The Offer

SUMMARY: What did Leoben want, when he came to Kara's tent?… Set after Season Two finale.

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

NOTE: This story is not trying to explore what may happen in Season 3, that's why I'm going to ignore some of the most influencing matters from LDYB2 here. This is the premise: yes this is a year later, yes the cylons returned, and scared off the battlestars, but maybe their attack at the settlements wasn't that devastating after all. No centurions at this moment, guess they will come down in a few days…

NOTE 2: To the new readers. Please DON'T READ REVIEWS! There are some mysteries in this story, and the reviews give away most of the secrets. It might spoil the pleasure that this story - I hope - is, when you don't know what to expect. So read it with a fresh mind, and enjoy!

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter One - THE OFFER

>>

"Is Kara Thrace here?"

"No, she's… I don't know where she is" Sam hesitated. He couldn't answer the man who was asking whereabouts of his wife! Kara left this morning, returned an hour later, really upset, and then vanished for the rest of the day. She should be here, he wasn't feeling well, but maybe he pissed her more than he thought, playing pyramid yesterday. Sometimes he felt like he didn't know her at all.

"Alright then. Just tell her I was searching for her" the man smiled courteously. "I want to make her an offer, and if she wants to hear what I have to say, tell her to meet me in the evening at the bazaar. Will you remember? My name is Leoben. She knows me."

Sam frowned. An offer? What in the name of Hades was Kara involving herself in. Was she crazy or something?

"Will you tell her?" Leoben insisted.

"I will" Sam agreed.

>>

"Leoben?" Kara's question came out barely audible. Sam could swear she paled too.

"He sad you'd know him. Who is that?" he inquired.

"What did he want?"

"Didn't say." Sam couldn't not notice how she avoided answering him. He grew more suspicious. But when she didn't do anything, he decided to tell her all that he heard from the guy. "He only said that… he has an offer, and wants you to meet him at the bazaar in the evening. It is evening already…" he looked at the darkening window, and it hit him. There weren't going to be any answers from her right now.

"I'd better go" she whispered, and before he had a chance to make a move, she was out.

"Kara!" he shouted helplessly. She was slipping away from him. The closer they got, the farther she was. He had a feeling now – and from what he heard from other people, mostly Helo, during this year – that she was _his _the most, when he was back on Caprica.

>>

Kara recognized this figure immediately. He was standing with his back to her, but was imprinted in her memory too deeply to mistake him for anything else.

"What do you want?" she barked approaching him. She was hoping her sudden question would startle him, but he only turned around, and smiled, showing his ugly big teeth. He probably thought he was being nice.

"You know what we want" he said politely. "We want to have children."

Kara froze. Her heart started beating in her chest like crazy, she got scared it might break her ribs. Children. No…

"Oh… No!" she breathed, stepping back involuntary. "Oh no! No way, you're going to get me…" She didn't want to show him her weakness. She couldn't show them her weakness! They couldn't know how easy it was to reach to her, to upset her, to break her even… She couldn't be broken.

But he just kept smiling. She hated that!

"I have an offer. I want to give you a medication for your husband."

She knew that. She knew they would force her to make a choice like that. She knew that. Despair started showing it's nasty head, biting right into her heart with sharp fangs. Samuel's life, over… the worst nightmare of her life. Worsened yet by the way cylons worked their way with human women.

Leoben was staring at her, analyzing emotions swirling through her face with his politely smiling eyes. Politely and curiously. Finally he clarified: "In exchange we want a human-cylon hybrid."

"You bastards!" was all she could stammer.

"Oh, please, Kara" Leoben smiled wider, and bent to her lightly. She moved back sharply again. "I know what you fear" he whispered confidentially. "But think – maybe this won't be necessary. The hybrid already exists."

Kara stared at him astounded. If he meant what she thought he meant, that meant that cylons were seriously misinformed.

"The kid you're talking about is dead" she hissed, not even trying to hide her satisfaction. She was aware that this news wasn't good for her at all, but still she wanted to wipe this impudent smile off his face. "She died in labor."

"What makes you think there aren't more?" Leoben asked not faltering. "What makes you think you aren't wrong?" Now she had no answer to that. "Unfortunately we don't know whereabouts of Sharon's daughter. You might find her for us. Or you might help us access the other hybrid, when we're ready. Would you do that?"

"You frakked up assholes" Kara whispered in response. It was a child for frak's sake! And she wouldn't dare imagine what they wanted this child for.

"For the medication for your husband" Leoben whispered. "Isn't it worth it?"

"I don't know."

"Well, then…" he stopped smiling. He spread his arms. He really looked sad, but not really for himself. Really for her.

As he started turning away, she couldn't stop her impulses. "Wait!" she called and regretted it this very second. But all she could do now was to keep going. "I don't even know… I don't even know that Boomer's kid lives. You say she does but I know she doesn't. So what's the story?…"

Leoben returned to stand before her, his hands in his pockets, head bent. He started explaining straightforwardly, what was really shocking now, after all concealed, fragmentary truths he sheared before.

"She lives" he said not smiling anymore. Kara thought he knew he won. But he didn't, not yet! "She was hidden before us, and we have problems locating her. She's here somewhere, but… That's why it would probably be easier for you to deliver us the second hybrid. Or the first, since he was born earlier. I'll give you the tips, but we can't reach him now either, he's protected."

"By what?"

"Whom. His parent – the cylon, who rebelled against us, like the Sharon model almost did at some point. And we need you to help us neutralize this protection. Or find Sharon's child." He finally lifted his head to remind her what this conversation was really about. "For extending your husband's life." He smiled again.

But Kara had one more concern. The most important concern, the one that would really have the biggest influence on her decision.

"What will you do with the hybrid?" she asked, and Leoben's smile disappeared.

"That's none of your concern."

"If I'm going to give you the child, I must know what's going to happen to her!"

"This child is a machine" he reminded, trying to cover it up with yet another smile. But this one was not as confident as earlier.

"Half machine" she reminded.

"Half machine" he agreed, genuinely surprised by her stubbornness. "Oh, Kara. Are you really going to value half-machine's mere safety over the life of your husband? Think again."

He was good. He was really frakking good! She started thinking, started considering the odds, and caught herself on it. No! There were values that she couldn't… there were lines that she couldn't cross!

"You're… you're just confusing me" she whispered through clenched teeth. "I know your game, and I'm not going to play it!"

They eyed each other carefully. Long. Intently. And finally Leoben was the first to consent. He bowed to her.

"Whenever you change your mind, Kara" he said. "You know where to find me."

He turned around and walked away, disappearing amongst the crowd of people of which anyone could be a cylon…

>>

Frakking Lee! If he gave her medication… if he wasn't attacked by the cylon fleet… if he didn't FTL away, abandoning her and the rest of the civilization on this wretched planet…

She didn't want to worry about nearly deserted starships with their skeleton crews. She didn't want to wonder if the few people she cared about, who stayed up there, were still safe. It was much easier to be pissed off with Lee. At least he gave her a good reason to hate him. So she hated him! Hated and despised, and blamed for her scary dilemma.

Samuel vomited all day. Now he lay in bed, exhausted, feverish. Dieing. If Lee gave her the medication, Sam would be fine now. That wasn't true. Even if Lee wanted to, he couldn't help her – that was when the cylons attacked. But she choose not to deliberate on that. Lee didn't grant her request. Friends don't do that. She hated Lee.

If Lee gave her medication, and Sam was fine, she wouldn't have to face this dreadful decision. She wouldn't have to give the cylons a child for the life of the man she loved. She had no idea, what they wanted the kid for, but she could imagine. They were responsible for holocaust of the human race. They were raping women, impregnating them, and treating like living incubators. Like breeding machines. They were machines.

She could only imagine what they would do to a half-human child.

It would make her a good mother when compared to.

Damn! It would make _her mother_ a good mother too.

Kara cried silently, watching her husband's life slipping away, and cursing Lee. Because it was all his fault after all. If he admitted to being jealous of Doctor Baltar back then, so long ago… in another life… None of this would happen.

Or would it? Was _this _her destiny?

>>

t.b.c.

And of course I need you to tell me if you like any of this… Thanks.  
-Y-


	2. The Bargain

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

NOTE: I won't be figuring out how the whole resistance thing worked on New Caprica. My guess is we'll see plenty of that in first episodes of Season Three, so we'll just have to wait till then ;). This story is about something else…

NOTE 2: Great thanks for very encouraging reviews! Since a few people asked: yes, I want to include Lee in this story somehow. After all APOLLO is my favorite character on the show :). But not just yet, not yet…

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Two- THE BARGAIN

>>

She didn't have a choice. She really didn't have a choice. She had to convince herself that she _didn't have a choice_.

Because what she was about to do, was horrible.

She decided to give in to the cylons' demand. She decided that she would help them get the child. The human-cylon hybrid. The innocent being, not yet infected with their ideology, not responsible for the extinction of a human race.

She had to stop thinking this way. It _was _a machine. Half-machine. But still a machine. And it belonged to it's kind.

This was meant to be.

"Would you trust me, if I told you I wanted to cooperate?" Leoben asked out of the blue.

What did he mean?

"So… you don't trust me all of a sudden?" Kara asked, trying to think ahead of him. "You wanted me to cooperate, and now you want me to prove my willingness to you, or what?"

"I believe I do not need to do that. You are not in a position to go up against us." Leoben smiled sadly. And he was right of course, she knew that.

"So why are you asking that?"

Leoben eyed her for a few moments, his sight serious and determined. "Would _you _trust _me_?"

"Why?"

"I'm a cylon. If I told you that I've changed. That I want to help humanity, that in reality I'm on your side… Would you believe me?" Kara just stared at him incredulously. Where was that going? "I have a feeling you wouldn't" he sighed, genuinely saddened. "I have a feeling, that you think, that in the end all that's here" he poked his head "is programming. Do you think we can override it?" Kara still didn't respond. But this time he urged her to. "Do you think I could act against cylons?"

"Not really."

"Do you think Sharon did?"

"No" Kara whispered. She never trusted her. And she knew she wouldn't trust him either. "I wouldn't trust a cylon. Ever."

He bent his head and nodded couple of times. And then it hit her – she knew what he was up to!

"I know what you want" she mocked. He tried to play with her again, but this time she wouldn't allow him to fool her. She saw right through his act. "I know what you're doing!" She waited for him to look at her, before she continued. "You want to know if you could gain my support by convincing me it's going to be to the benefit of humanity. But this isn't going to work. I will never trust you! You're right I never trusted Sharon, not even when she was giving us useful information, like with Scar. I never believed that Brother Cavit or whatever his name was, not deep in my heart. I was so wrong to leave the Stars and settle down, but I did it for Sam." She stopped suddenly. The look in his eyes shifted during her speech. It was curious again; he was testing her! – she realized. And she wasn't so convinced anymore whether she guessed his purposes right.

"So you don't trust me?" Leoben asked with fake sadness. It was too fake, like he wanted to pretend, and to let her know he was pretending all together. Like he wanted to confuse her more.

"I don't trust any cylon" she answered through clenched teeth.

"What about those you think are human?"

Of course. Of course there were still unidentified cylon models in the Fleet!

"There are people you trust, that are – in reality – cylons" he reminded, though he didn't need to.

"I trusted Boomer" she reminded him too. "But once I realized _what _she was, I stopped trusting her."

"So" he said slowly, annoying her beyond endurance. "Once you are convinced, that someone you believe in, is a cylon…"

"I would hate him just like you!" she shouted.

"Even if it was Samuel?" he cut right into her words.

Kara fell silent, taken aback, all blood escaping from her face. She needed to sit down, but there wasn't any place to sit, but for the dirty side road. _No_ – she thought helplessly. _That couldn't be! No, that would be too crazy, that would…_

"I didn't say he was" Leoben said softly. "I was just theorizing."

"Is that why you want to cure him?" Kara asked breathlessly.

"Don't you think I'd have better ways to do that?" the cylon explained patiently. As if talking to a child. "Don't you think we do not get sick? No. I do it, because I want to win your loyalty. I'm honest."

"You're never honest!" she screamed. "I don't know what your motives are, but I'm not going to just believe you that Sam is a cylon. I'm not going to doubt him!" she yelled loud enough to silence the little voice in her head that said – _beware_. And she knew very well, that Leoben heard that voice too. He saw _her _hearing that voice. He planted the seed of doubt in her heart. He knew she could not trust a cylon, no matter how much she loved him.

"So" he smiled showing those teeth of his again. "You still want this medication?"

"Yes!" she spat.

"And you'll helps us get to the hybrid?"

"You didn't give me any tips so far" she reminded, but that was not the answer Leoben wanted.

"Will you?" he repeated.

"Yes."

"Deal. I'll give you tips when we're ready to access him" he turned all business. "All you will have to do is neutralize his protection then, and I'll tell you exactly how to do this – when the right time comes."

"You mean kill his parent?"

"Perhaps. That model is of no value to us anymore" he answered casually, handing her a small package. "But I don't know yet. That's for you."

She took the gift. "This is…"

"The antibiotic. He should get better soon." Kara looked up at him, but Leoben wasn't smiling anymore. "I'll contact you when the time comes. Go to your husband, he needs you" he said, and walked away.

Kara felt like she had just sold her soul to the devil.

>>

But it was worth it. Or so she choose to think.

Samuel started getting better within hours after the first shot. And a few days later, when the Colonists led by Laura Roslin, Chief Tyrol and Starbuck herself set the rebellion against the cylons in full motion, he was able to add all his knowledge and experience to the resistance collective head.

"It would have all been different if Adama hadn't abandoned us" Ellen Tigh went on about her favorite issue, as soon as the secret session ended and only the friends remained at the Tighs' tent. It seemingly became one of the resistance headquarters, and would be convenient, if not for the constant gibes of the mistress of the house.

All that brooding nearly ticked Kara off, and given how much pressure weighted on her over the last few days, she was about to explode. Alright, she had her own bunch of problems with the Adamas, but had anyone tried to rub them the wrong way, she was ready to go for a kill. Nearly.

Apparently she was not the only one.

"And what was he supposed to do with a battlestar manned by five hundred people?" Laura asked in a steady voice, but with a dangerous hint to it.

It was odd how quickly she and Kara got to be on the first name basis.

"Bill hadn't abandoned us" Tigh cut in. "He's coming back" he grunted. He hadn't lost faith in his best friend, but Kara could tell it was getting thinner with each passing day, that didn't have the battlestars returning. That's why _she _decided not to hope that the Adamas would come to their rescue. She choose to believe she'd never see either of them in her life again. She chose to blame them and hate them, because it was easier to blame them, than to mourn them. That's why she never really burst out on Ellen Tigh.

"They'd better be coming back soon" Ellen chipped in, smiling playfully. "Or else we're going to have to start searching for _them_."

"We have to concentrate on surviving" Sam, who sat quiet most of the time, now decided to insert his opinion. "We can't go on living on false hopes of someone coming to our rescue. We ourselves are the only hope we have. And we must rescue ourselves."

That comment infuriated Kara even more than Ellen's words. Not because it mirrored her own thoughts – those she wasn't thinking at all, about being abandoned, and left behind. No, not at all because of that. There must have been something else.

"You're speaking out of experience?" she took on him furiously. "I thought you said you'd been waiting for me to rescue you? Or didn't you need that? Did I risk all those peoples' lives, and raptors, and resources for something that wasn't necessary? Or maybe even wanted, huh Sam? Maybe you didn't even _want _to be rescued!" Not waiting for his response, not wanting to bear everyone's startled eyes on her, she stomped out of the Tighs' tent, straight into the rain.

"_What do you hear, Starbuck?"_

"_Nothing but the rain."_

_>>_

t.b.c.

If you like this story, and want to know where it's going, please let me know!

-Y-


	3. Killing Time

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

NOTE: Thanks for reviews! Tracyj23, the ending part of this chapter was completely different in draft version ;).

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Three - KILLING TIME

>>

"Well, that was something" Ellen spoke again, unasked for as always. Laura found it harder and harder to endure her presence, and constant chatter. "By the way, Mister Anders, I haven't had a chance to congratulate you on your remarkable recovery." The blonde moved over and sat on the man's lap. If Kara was there, she would scratch her eyes out. "I hope you're feeling fine now?"

"Every day better, ma'am" Sam confirmed with a smile, that was as tense as insincere. He shifted uncomfortably, and cast a pleading glance at Laura and Saul.

"Ellen" the ex president rose, knowing far too well, that Colonel Tigh was unlikely to react in any way. Laura tried to use her most authoritative tone – because it was never easy with Ellen Tigh – as she reached her hand, and grabbed the blonde by the wrist. "You don't want to sit here, when Kara gets back."

"But it was worth it, even if only for a second." Ellen winked at Samuel, who appeared hilariously uncomfortable. Even Laura had to suppress a chuckle. "You must admit though, that his recovery is truly amazing. Where did you get medications from?"

"I don't know" Sam confessed. "Kara managed to get them somehow."

"Hmm" Ellen hummed, but Laura just squeezed her hand.

"I believe it's none of our business" she smiled politely, but meaningfully enough to earn a slight offended nod from Ellen Tigh. "Let's just be glad that Mister Anders is with us, and can help us fight the cylons. That's out goal." Laura involuntary looked up at the curtain, behind which Kara disappeared a couple of minutes ago. She should return soon. What got her so upset? "I'll be back in a moment" Laura said, and left the tent, grabbing her coat.

She found Kara on the outskirts of the settlement. Staring out into the grassland.

"You shouldn't be here alone" Laura whispered.

"Because?"

"You know why."

"They won't just come out and grab me. Besides… I made a pact with them."

Laura just turned around to stare at her younger colleague.

"What pact?" she breathed out incredulously.

Kara looked her straight in the eyes. And then she suddenly crumbled. Bent down, kneeled in the mud, and sobbed. "I had to do this."

"Do what?" Now that made Laura scared. "Kara, what did you do?"

"Nothing. Nothing yet, but when they come… When they tell me…"

"The medication" Laura presumed, and a single nod was all the confirmation she got. She sat on her heels, next to the younger woman. Kara cried silently. That would explain a lot of her behavior over the last few days. She was unusually jumpy, even for her. "What did they want in exchange?" she had to know that.

"I can't tell you."

"You must tell me." Laura got up, and stood above Kara. "It's not just about you. Whatever they want, it involves us all, and you should at least share it with your friends."

Kara got up as well, and leveled her sight with that of the older woman. "I can't. I can't let Samuel know… that I sacrificed anything for him. Or that I will…"

"That's not very wise."

"Who said I was wise?"

They eyed each other, and finally Laura smiled inwardly. Perhaps it was not important to inform Sam. But still – _she_ had to know. And Kara – despite herself – helped her find the way.

"I get your point, Kara" Laura spoke softly, encouragingly. "I understand. But I can't allow you to keep crucial information from me. I would hate to blackmail you…"

"Then don't" Kara interrupted. There was a moment of silent communication, and Laura's little smile didn't falter for a blink of an eye. She didn't need to actually use a blackmail. Kara knew.

"They want Sharon's child" she said under her breath. Ex-president's face lost it's confidence for a split second, but that was enough for a trained eye of a viper pilot. Starbuck saw all she needed to see, and a lot of what she never expected to.

"But this child is dead" Laura stated finally, but Kara already knew the older woman was lying.

"They don't think so" she said slowly. "But they don't know where she is." Then she waited a few heart bits, before asking: "Do you?"

Laura was surprised at Kara's perceptiveness, but didn't let her emotions surface.

"Me? How would I…"

"Stop those games" Kara hissed. "You want my honesty? Give _me _some. See I have a few more secrets in my pocket, that I'm sure would shake whatever safe place you still have in your mind upside down. So how about telling me what really happened with Sharon's child."

Laura realized she had to share the secret with this woman. At least part of this secret. "We hid her. I couldn't allow a cylon to rise this baby. I couldn't allow cylons to know she existed! What worries me though is how they know?"

"They didn't let me in on it" Kara mocked. "But you know – there may still be a few uncovered agents among the settlers. Someone you least suspected, may know your little secret."

"Of course." Laura looked behind her at the rows of tents, and shivered. "But you said they didn't know where Hera was. We're safe." Then Laura turned all her attention back to Kara. "You said you had more secrets."

"Yes" the girl replied reluctantly. She took a long moment to weight questions she wanted to ask and answers she wanted to give. Then she chose the latter. "They say there are more hybrids."

"More!" Laura gasped.

"And they want one of those other children. They will come and tell me…" Kara stumbled on words again. "But I don't think I could…" she sobbed.

"Of course you couldn't. And of course you won't." Laura stepped closer and held Kara tightly. "You can't give the cylons their hybrid baby. Sharon's or whoever else's. When do they want you to do this?"

"They'd tell me. They didn't specify. I must wait."

Laura stood, watching Kara wiping away the tears from her face. Her mind was working hard, processing all the information she just got. They were important ones, she just didn't know how to use them to their advantage. Yet.

"Are they in touch with you?" she asked finally.

"No. Why?"

"When they come… You must do all you can to find out who the parents are. And you must give us this information. At all cost. And _not _help them to get to the baby."

"It's so easy for you."

>>

Two weeks had passed without a word from Leoben. Two weeks of waiting, fearing, and watching cylons settle down. Smiles on their faces, kind words. Kara hated seeing the same five faces all around the town. There were twelve models, for Kobol's sake. If they were suddenly so honest, why not introduce the rest of them now!

She'd seen a few Leobens. Or rather Number Fours as they were called. But none of them seemed to react to her presence, so she assumed _The Leoben _choose to ignore her for his own reasons.

She wished she could forget him. She wished it could be that easy – put this behind and tell Leoben, when he comes, that he missed his opportunity. But she could not do that. Her mind was in constant alert state. Because if she refused to do what they wanted, they could come, and kill Sam for all she knew.

Oh, they said they weren't murderers, they decided to love humanity for a change, but this love was suffocating!

There were also those conversations with Laura, in which both of them tried to avoid the subject of the hybrid. But a few sentences here and there were enough to put Kara's thoughts on constant roller-coaster. Helo's baby was alive. She wanted to know how it was doing. She wanted to tell him, that his daughter was still there, because she hoped – in a hope that she tried to put aside so hard – that _he _was still alive. Along with the others… But if she knew where Hera was, she would betray her to the cylons. So she never again asked Laura to tell her about the baby. Laura was the best protector Hera could have.

Why didn't they come yet? How much longer, how much more of this constant fear? How much more of Samuel's impatience at her mood-swings.

"You know, I could think you were pregnant, the way you've been behaving lately" he told her finally.

At the fierce look she gave him, his expression changed. From angered, irritated, to soft, and apologetic.

"Kara…"

"Go away!"

"No! Don't!" He grabbed her by the arm, before she could run out of their tent. He held her, though she struggled to set herself free. She was strong, she was still a very strong woman, and he was still weakened after his pneumonia. She should have set herself free with ease, but somehow she stayed in his arms. "I'm sorry" he whispered in her hair, when she stopped fighting. "Tell me what I do wrong. I'm trying Kara. I see your suffering and I have no clue where it comes from. You keep dodging my questions, keep disappearing… I want to help you. You're my wife."

She held onto him. She couldn't answer, so she just held him tighter, and buried her face in his sweater. His smell was reassuring, but she couldn't get herself to confide in her own husband! Burden him with this guilt. And there was this little voice too – the one planted by Leoben. The one saying: "what if Sam _is _in fact a cylon? What if she _is _carrying a hybrid in her belly this very moment? What if _that _is what Leoben really wanted, and only tried to deceive her with that talk about Sharon's baby, and the other hybrid? What if she was going to give up her own child for the cylons to run tests, experiments, analysis?… What if?"

>>

t.b.c.

Alright. Now - after a hard days work - I want some reward. And the best reward for a fanfic writer are reviews. Please.


	4. Rescue

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

NOTE: It's time to rescue humans from New Caprica. And there are better fanfics, and authors who are more capable of dealing with all those multi-character issues (yes, Diana Belmont, if you're reading this, I'm referring to you and your story "Dark Days" which BTW I recommend), so I'm not going to make a serious attempt at that. Instead I'll stick to my plot, with just some vague hints…  
And I hope my "reading audience" enjoys it nonetheless.

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Four - RESCUED

>>

It was more and more obvious, that Kara was not pregnant. But there was always a possibility that she could get ptregnant at some point, and that the baby's father – Samuel Anders – could be a cylon. Why not?

Or there was a possibility that someone else she knew was having a baby... say Cally and Tyrol. One of _them _could be a cylon. Why not?

Kara knew she was getting paranoid. But luckily for her, she had lots of other things to keep her mind occupied. Organizing the resistance soon changed into planning the escape from the planet in as much group as possible, without drawing cylons' attention. Impossible? Not for Kara Thrace and her band.

Once the communication with the Fleet was established, and brains were buzzing on both sides of the FTL raptor connection, it was just a matter of time, before the cylons would be history. Kara was so busy days and nights, that even in the deepest dark Leoben's face wasn't hauting her anymore. She nearly forgot. Impossible happened.

"You should come with us" she pleaded with Sam for thousandth time. Only hours separated them from 'time-zero' when the op. Rescue was to begin.

"I can't and you know that" he reasoned. "Only the pilots are going in the first group. That's a good plan."

Of course he was right. And of course he wasn't. Some of the pilots insisted on taking their families, but there were also a few indispensable deck-hands, CIC personnel, engineers. And their families. If someone wanted to be literal.

"Not only pilots" Kara tried to argue, though she knew it was futile, "and _you _know that."

"Cally and a few pregnant girls or new mommies don't count." Sam looked at her seriously. Yes, they've been through that over and over again. "That's the way of protecting the human race, or somehing" he reminded Laura Roslin's argumentation – her reasons to take those few girls in case something didn't work out. At least the youngest children would be safe.

"Right." Kara nodded. "And let's not forget Laura Roslin herself." The ex-President was going too, partly because her cold, reasonable mind, and sense of responsibility were something humans really needed – she may not have been the President anymore, but she was the best leader they could have. And partly because Admiral Adama insisted. "Those girls are going because they know someone from the command group" Kara sighed, and shook her head at this obvious favoritism. There were so many pregnant women, so many little children staying behind, until the second stage of the operation. And men. "You know _me_" she tried once more. "You could get onboard too, based on that..."

"I will be more useful here" Sam cut in. "Okay? We've discussed it..."

"I just don't want us to get separated."

"I know Kara" he said softly, and came closer. "I don't want that either." He placed his hand under her chin, forced her to look up into his eyes. "But we have no choice..."

"We do..."

"We don't." He held her face in his palms. "I can fight. I have to fight. I _want _to fight. You are going to be fighting, why don't you want the same for me? You know it would make me miserable if I was useless."

"I know" she nodded. "I just don't want to lose you" she added in a whisper.

"Neither do I" he whispered back. And held her close. "And I promise I'll do all I can to stay alive. Will you promise the same?"

"Yes" she sighed and buried her face in his chest. "I promise I'll do all I can to stay alive."

>>

"Everything ready?"

"Almost."

Kara was surprised to see Laura Roslin come into her tent, over an hour before they were supposed to leave. They were supposed to be sleeping, getting as much rest as possible before the operation. Not that Kara or Sam were able to sleep.

"What are you doing here?" Kara asked, climbling out of bed.

"I need to talk to you" the older woman replied meaningfully.

"What about?" Sam inquired, getting up as well.

Laure eyed him, and turned to Kara. This was a secret. This was just between the two of them. And Kara didn't need to ask what it was about, because there was only one secret the two of them shared. They went outside.

"Did he come?" Laura asked immediately, in a confidential whisper.

"No." Kara shook her head, equally amazed by Laura's ability to juggle so many different obstacles, and her own forgetfulness.

"What are you gonna do?"

"Nothing." What was she supposed to do? The were fleeing, Leoben was going to be left behind, along with all the worries. Without even trying, Kara was about to put one more nightmare behind her.

"We need…" Laura started, but Kara didn't want to worry.

"There's nothing I can do" she stated firmly. "Do you want me to go to one of those Number Fours, and ask '_are you the one who wants the hybrid?_' What if the others don't know the child even exists? This seems quite frakked up, don't you think? When Gaeta made an assumption that there was some rift in the cylon's command we thought he was nuts, but more and more evidence proves him right. I don't know what fraction Leoben… our Leoben works for. I can't… take risks."

Laura looked at her intently, and Kara flinched. Yes, she _was_ vaguely aware that she was in denial. Somewhere deep inside – too deep to dig into – she knew why it was so important to her to take Sam with them _right now_. But he was staying, so she couldn't worry. She couldn't worry.

Laura had her own purposes though. "All I want, is to know..." she started, but Kara didn't want to listen.

"…know if Hera would be safe" she interrupted, thinking she knew better. "Don't worry. She will be. They aren't going to harm her, c'mon, we'll be out of here in a matter of hours! Laura?" Kara stopped, startled by a sudden change in Laura's face. The ex-president seemed about to cry!

"I never thought it would come to this" she whispered her confession. "I tried to force myself to remember that this was a machine, but when I watch her grow, when she smiles at me and calls me 'ati'… You know, for 'auntie'…"

"Stop it!" Kara rose her voice, and covered her ears. She already heard too much!

Laura put a hand to her mouth, frightened.

They looked at each other, trying to figure out what was said, and what it meant.

"Stop it right there Laura" Kara said slowly, knowing her own ability to supress memories could still save the baby. She didn't have to analyze what child was close enough to Laura to consider her _an aunt_. "I don't want to know anything about this baby. I can't know that." Even if she believed it was about to end soon, they were still on the planet, and something could go wrong. She didn't want to know! "I think you should…"

"Go." Laura nodded. "Yes, I'll go." She started turning away, but then she remembered. "About the other hybrid." She looked up at Kara again, trying to find some understanding. "It has a parent. An unidentified cylon! There must be some way you could get that information from Leoben!"

"Not any more" Kara replied sadly. Leoben was past, and his secrets and lies were past. She didn't intend to dwell upon that, even if – in Laura's oppinion – it could help humans. "We'll see you in an hour?"

"This is important" Laura insisted weakly, but she knew it was to no avail. Kara remained silent. "In an hour then."

>>

In the foggy hour before the sundown, a group of refugees was dashing through the grassland. Raptors were supposed to land about two miles from New Caprica City in fifteen minutes. If everything was coordinated perfectly enough, the group would get to the landing site in exactly the right moment to assure the first step of the operation to last no longer that a minute.

Kara was marching next to Laura in complete silence. They haven't said a word to each other since their earlier conversation and it didn't even seem weird.

T – minus thirteen miutes.

The fiery arrows soared throug the star-lit sky. Raptors.

Kara looked at Laura and saw genuine joy and relief in her eyes. The joy and relief she felt herself. But Laura's were suddenly replaced by fear.

"Welcome again" Kara heard a familiar voice from right behind her back.

Leoben.

She turned, pointing her gun at him.

"You don't want to do this" he said, smiling.

"Don't I?"

"You know I'm not the only cylon around. And Sam is back there" he reminded.

Kara stood, watching him, his smile, his impudence.

And he turned to Laura instead. "It's nice to see you again" he welcomed. "Did you think about what I told you?"

"Oh..." Laura gasped. "I did" she admitted, and scolded herself immediately. "But not for long! It was all crap! You're a liar, and a deciever. I don't know what your purposes are, but you're not going to win. You won't deceive _her_!" Laura pointed at Kara, and Leoben looked over at the blonde.

His eyes asessed her really long, and Kara didn't say a word. She didn't know what to say. Her thoughts were all gone. Gone back to Anders…

"Someone will contact you out there" the cylon said finally, a smile plastered to his face. "I wonder if you will ask one of your friends for help with fulfilling your mission. You still have friends out there, do you?" He fell silent, waiting, and Kara felt familiar force of fury rising up in her chest. Just a second before she was ready to explode, he spoke again. "Guess we'll have to wait to find out. We're getting ready. Wait for a sign." With that he turned away, and disappeared into the mist.

Both women stood there for a while. Until Laura realized all the refugees were already gone, and they were alone.

"Hurry!"

It took all of Kara's self-control to fall into step beside her friend again. She tried to comprehend all the implications of Leoben's sudden arrival – at the last moment, when no one would expect him to! She was to run away. She was to be free from this burden! But there he was, with more lies for her, more questions. And it seemed not only she was familiar with his tricks.

"What did he tell you?" Kara turned to Laura, who looked at her startled, not understanding. "He asked if you thought about..."

"Yes. I know." Laura took her time, before she explained. "When I orderd his airlocking. Just before… he said... He said Adama was a cylon. And I actually considered his words true! I actually wanted the old man tested in Baltar's detector, and caused a lot of confusion, and nearly destroyed all trust between the two of us. But the cylon didn't succeed. We prevailed. And so must you, Kara" Laura looked intently into the younger woman's eyes. "You must learn to separate his lies from the truth. You must find a way to capture what's important, and throw away the garbage."

Kara nodded, but before she could answer, she saw bushes before them move slightly. She pointed her gun at the approaching figure, and nearly shot. It took all her willpower to remember to _first look_.

It was Helo.

"There you are" he whispered. "Hurry up, raptors are waiting!"

He turned around and two women followed him.

"I know" Kara whispered to Laura after a moment. "He knows, that you know. He thinks I can get that information from you. I think there is only Hera."

>>

Next days were a blur. Raptors jumping into the atmosphere, landing to take the refugees. One of the battlestars jumping in, half an hour later, launching vipers, fighting, fighting, protecting the escaping raptors, the other battlestar ready to jump in, if the first one deosn't return in the estimated time, fighting, protecting, helping to escape. Fighting and fighting, and over and over again.

Kara lost count after seventh jump. After that she was on autopilot. She was Starbuck. And Starbuck was invincible.

They saved 23 862 souls.

The rest either died or were too afraid to try an attempt at escaping, or simply wanted to stay – wanted to remain planetside. Didn't want to return to space, even at the cost of being cylons' pets.

23 862 survivors in search of a home, called Earth.

>>

t.b.c.

Review! Please, review, I love getting reviews!  
If you're good, there will be some Lee in the next chapter... ;)


	5. Without A Litte Help

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Five – WITHOUT A LITTLE HELP

>>

Getting back to the CAG's job was surprisingly rewarding. Kara though she might actually enjoy planning flight schedule. And then after a hard day's work, there was this hot man waiting for her in their small CAG's quarters. Yes, being a CAG had its boons these days.

Kara couldn't stop thinking about the wonders that could be performed in the quiet of an isolated room, as she strode towards CIC for the morning briefing with the Admiral. This was the first really calm day after the frantic escape, and cleaning up the mess it left. All the reports were written and read, the damage checked, next steps planned. They could now start getting prepared in case cylons found the Fleet again. But they knew the drill – they just needed to remember it.

"Welcome, Major!" It was Helo, who greeted her in CIC, and her heart skipped a beat. "The Admiral and the XO should arrive in a minute, so it's just me for now" he smiled broadly. "We missed you at the triad table last night. I thought it would be the first thing you'd do after whipping some cylons' asses, but our great Starbuck didn't show up." He obviously tried to cheer her up, because he kept on rambling, even though she remained silent, her eyes fixed on the reports she spread on the table. "You know, your legend starts to fade away. New nuggets don't believe when we tell them that there was once a Starbuck, who used to win twenty hands in a row."

"It was never _that _good" she replied in spite of herself, and looked at him from the corner of her eye. And then she smiled. There was something relieving in a banter with an old friend. If she could only be honest with him. Really honest. The words _'your little girl is still alive' _were just on the tip of her tongue. Just-just…

But luckily for her, the Admiral came to CIC on this very moment.

>>

The Admiral seemed to find the new situation more disturbing than the rest of the people Laura Roslin talked to these days. Perhaps it was harder for him after all? A year of getting used to being useless, rapidly ended in another battle. A tough one, with so much at stake. She wondered if he slept at all in those days after the cylon's return. She herself wasn't sleeping much, but he seemed to be on constant alert.

Now that everything settled down once more, he seemed so tired. How old was he anyway? He must be around sixty if he was fighting in the first cylon war. Suddenly he looked even older.

But there was still so much to discuss.

"You want my advice?" he asked looking at her above his glasses.

"I think I trust you" she smiled. That was true, he was about the only person left to her now, that could support her quest. And who's support would be both wise and objective.

"I'm not a politician, Laura. How can I tell you what you should do?"

"You can tell me what I do wrong. Or what is immoral about my choices. The lesson you gave me a year ago didn't go to waste."

"Didn't it?" he smiled with genuine amusement. "But everything you're planning now is immoral."

She gazed at him sideways, hurt by his words. How could he say that? But he was still smiling.

"Bill?" she demanded an explanation.

"You want to overthrow the President and take his place."

"I want to be elected the Caprican representative in the Quorum of Twelve" she straightened. The Quorum only had seven members now, and reelection was planned in four days.

But he already knew better – she told him herself a few minutes ago. "And then you want the Quorum to bring down the President" he reminded.

"I plan to do everything legally."

"And then you want the Quorum to assign you to the temporary office, using the situation to your advantage."

"I'm the best qualified!" She threw her hands in frustration with his unawareness. Obviously he wasn't that ignorant! "I was the President, I know how it's done. And, Bill, I'm not doing it for Laura Roslin. I'm doing it for the people. How can you not see that? Stealing the election was wrong, but here – I won't do anything against the Law. But I have to use the opportunity. Baltar's ways of dealing with political and social issues during this year were unacceptable." She got carried away. She stood up and looked down at him. "I'm telling you – hadn't the cylons attacked, he'd be removed from power in a matter of months. But his immediate surrender to the cylons was the final straw. He proved he can't be the leader of humanity. We can't afford that now!" She realized, she was now leaning on Adama's desk, her face only inches from his.

She straightened her pose, and he leaned back, removing his glasses in a gesture she got to know so well, and love in a way. He took his time.

"I understand your point, Laura" he spoke finally. "I'm just saying there will be people wanting to denounce you of wanting power just for the power. Vice President is not an easy opponent, and I'm sure he is striving to take over the position as much as you do."

"Tom Zarek was never an easy opponent" Laura reminded. "But I managed him so far. On more than one occasion. Which is why I need to prepare a program" she started explaining. "Social, economical predeterminations… No!" she exclaimed, and nearly burst out laughing at the sight of mock-terror on his face. "I'm not asking you to help me with _that_! I already have people who do their jobs in this agenda. All I'm saying is that I must be prepared to stand before the Quorum, and tell them that I know what I want for the people. I believe I can manage Tom Zarek one more time. But that reminded me…" she smiled at him again, and sat back in a chair, facing William Adama. "Admiral. Internal affairs are one thing, but external ones are the other. I need to know what my office is planning to do about the cylons. And that's one more task for you. Beside being my conscience."

"What can we do about the cylons?" Bill asked, getting serious again. He had no answers in this area. "We don't even know what they want now. Before – they wanted to exterminate us. Now… They offered us armistice. Then they took over New Caprica, and didn't start killing us. In fact… It almost seemed as if they _let us _escape. We really do not know where we stand."

In the silence that fell after his words, Laura deliberated on one thing she knew about the cylon's purposes. They wanted something from Kara Thrace. They wanted her to find a hybrid baby. That made sense – they wanted to mix races, Caprica copy of Sharon Valeri told them something along those lines. They needed a hybrid.

She should tell Adama about Kara's encounter with Leoben Connoy. But that might mean revealing Hera. Revealing the fact that she's alive, and that Laura lied to everyone about it. The risk of losing Adama's trust as a result of it was threatening, but it was something Laura would bear. What she couldn't allow to happen was exposing the baby. Her instinct told her to hide the child in the first place, and she still believed in the rightness of that decision.

So no, she couldn't start talking about Leoben until she'd be prepared for that conversation. Not today. Not before the situation with the Quorum is resolved.

"I think they want us to find Earth" Adama spoke suddenly, breaking into Laura's thoughts. "That's why they let us go." He was looking straight at her, and Laura needed a good minute to understand what he was referring to.

"So you think they will just leave us in peace now? And let us go on our way?"

"They will follow us. They may even keep attacking us, just to fool us. And perhaps push us in the right direction. But they believe in Sacred Scrolls, in prophecies. _All of this has happened before, all of it will happen again._ They believe that only humans can find the Earth. And they want it."

"Do you mean we shouldn't be searching for it?" Laura whispered. This turn of events wasn't want she expected. And it wasn't what she wanted. She needed to tell those people that they were on their way home!

"All I'm saying is that we need to be planning our next steps very carefully." He looked at her really long, and she just didn't know what to say. So he added in a comforting tone: "But the military will take care of that. Cooperating with the President of course. So make sure you prepare yourself well for both – the election, and the debate in the Quorum."

>>

"You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, Starbuck. Come in."

It felt awkward. But Kara stepped into the quarters.

"I received a note" he started, watching her with those scrutinizing eyes of his. She was amazed how much he's changed. How much he was the younger version of Admiral Adama now. Not in his facial features, but in gestures, in that glare, in the very way of speaking. Commander Adama. He was indeed worthy of that status – both with the rank, and the name. "A note from the Admiral" he added, obviously waiting for her reaction.

"A note?" she probed.

"It says you requested transfer."

"I did."

"To the _Pegasus_."

"That's true."

He assessed her again, tried to read her face. Could she conceal her emotions from this man? Doubtful.

"I thought it was his call" he finally said in a low voice. She did not reply. "After all that… You want to serve here?" he looked up, his sight soft this time.

"I have my reasons" was all she could say.

He nodded in understanding. But he was not her friend. He was her Commander. "I'd like to know what they are."

What was she supposed to say? That she didn't want to be anywhere near Laura Roslin? That she couldn't play triad with Helo without wanting to scream in his face _"I want to help you find Hera"_? She couldn't confide in Lee. Not after all that…

"We used to be friends once" he said slowly. "But you wouldn't confide in me even then." Did he read her mind? Or did he simply know her so well, that he could read torment written on her face?

They used to be friends.

Leoben wondered if she would ask one of her friends for help.

Another reason to get out of there and run.

>>

t.b.c.

I would really love to know what you think.


	6. Share Your Burden

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Six- SHARE YOUR BURDEN

>>

Kara did not run away though. She stood there in front of her Commander, and tried to endure his scrutinizing stare with as much calmness as she could muster.

"You're tough, Kara" he spoke finally. "You're the strongest woman... the strongest human alive. You've been through a lot, gods know that. Most of it all by yourself. And you made it through. You're tough" he stopped, sighed. She didn't know if he wanted her to respond, but she had no words for him now. Lee averted his sight, and absently pushed some papers on his desk. "But sometimes… you really have to lean on others. Let somebody in." He looked up again. "You seem so upset. I know you Kara, I know when you're in over your head. And I also realize I can't get through to you. So…" He gritted his teeth as if wanting to keep the words inside. But he sputtered them anyway. "Does Samuel know?"

"What?…" She was taken aback by this sudden question.

"Samuel" he repeated almost indifferently. Almost. "Your husband. Is he there for you through whatever trouble you're in? I thought…" Lee looked down again, as if ashamed, as if despising himself. "I thought he was able to make you realize that it's easier if you're sharing your burden. After all… you married him for a reason, right?"

"Are you jealous?" she asked in accusatory tone. Suddenly Lee pissed her off once more. Just like old times. And then the memories, the feeling of his betrayal returned with unstoppable force. "You say you want to help me, you're suddenly so concerned… But when I needed you!… Where were you!"

"When you…" He appeared to be so lost, it could be charming… If she wasn't so mad right now.

"Yes! I needed you! I needed a friend, and you turned your back on me!"

"What?… When?… I did not…" he stuttered.

"When I asked you for the medication for Anders!" she lashed out all her fury at him. She would go as far as to hit him, if there wasn't a desk between them. "I begged you, and…"

"Kara!" he cut in, rising his voice too. "That was when the cylons attacked!"

"Right! How very convenient indeed!"

"What are you talking…"

"None of this would have happened if you gave me those meds!"

"I couldn't. We…"

"Was that so much to ask from a friend?"

"Kara."

"You hanged up on me!"

"I did not. I told you to wait, when Dee…"

"Dee!"

"Yes, Dee!" They both suddenly stopped and gazed at each other. Then he took a deep breath and started explaining. "She's my XO. She saw something on DRAIDS, and when we realized what that was, and I wanted to _warn _you, you were already gone, and the wire cut."

"Right" she refused to accept it as true that easily.

"Whatever. You may not believe me, if you don't want to, but that's what happened!"

"Mhm."

"And I would have given you those meds. If I could."

To that she couldn't answer. She kept blaming him for so long, but his words seemed sincere.

He really was willing to help her. And, well, she needed that help. It wasn't easy to admit that, even to herself, but she did need someone to talk about her troubles with. And then it hit her, what he said: "_it's easier if you're sharing your burden_". Was that what she should do? Was Leoben frakking with her head all over again? Telling her to ask for help, expecting that it would discourage her and she wouldn't do it, and therefore she'd be weaker? Was he afraid that she would turn to her friends and his influence on her would lessen? Motivation, manipulation. Frak she was so confused!

"Alright" Lee sighed, abruptly bringing her back to reality, "you know what? Have it your way. You think you can take everything up on your own, I'm not going to fight you on this anymore. I can't understand why I even bothered. I'm out. Thank you, Major. Dismissed." He started fishing through the reports, ignoring her completely or pretending to do so.

But she stood still, so many thoughts running through her head.

"Lee" she whispered finally, and he looked up, startled that she was still standing there. "Lee, I may have been wrong."

A risen eyebrows were her answer. She had to explain. She had a lot to explain.

So she took a seat opposite to him, and started talking. She told him everything, including why she couldn't confide in Sam and Lee understood it all. They spend over an hour talking, and she was surprised how easy that was between them. He knew enough about her to understand her uneasiness.

"Do you actually know what they are planning to do with this kid?" he asked when she fell silent.

"Well... Not really."

"Then maybe you're wrong?" he tried to comfort her. He even went as far as placing his hand over hers on the table. She didn't flinch. She took pleasure in his touch. And he spoke softly. "From what I heard Sharon say, they would treat this child like some kind of... god. Hero."

"I can't help my imagination" she admitted softly. She told him about all those dreams she was having back on New Caprica, shortly after the bargain with Leoben. The dreams that returned to haunt her, once she was back on _Galactica_. Memories of her own childhood multiplied by cylon's cruelty.

Lee held her hand. "It would be rather dangerous to humans" he said convincingly, "if they got hold of it, not to the child itself."

But he was wrong! "This child is half human, Lee" she replied with passion. "Whatever they do to her, she will suffer. They are machines – she has human feelings. Only other humans can teach her how to deal with those. I know that not all humans are able to deal with their emotions, me being the best example, but machines can't do that for certain. Whatever they'd to her, would be some kind of freaky experiment. I must protect her."

"Do you think you can?"

"They chose me for a reason. Whatever that reason is. And the best way to protect her now is to stay away from her."

They fell silent then, Lee absently rubbing her knuckles. It was odd, such physical closeness between them. It's been so long since she felt him near. She did miss it, she knew that, but she did her best to push that feeling away. And now here he was, helping her, like he always had. Her true friend. How could she have doubted him?

He looked up, his brows furrowed. "Leoben mentioned other hybrid."

"That's true" Kara sighed. "But I can't understand why." She stood up and started pacing the floor of his large Commander's quarters. "Because everything now proves it's about Hera, and then – why this tale? That makes no sense. Unless he had some ulterior motives that I am not aware of, and that freaks me even more."

Lee stood up as well, and walked to her with a reassuring smile on his face.

"One thing is good, Kara" he said looking her deep in the eye, and taking her hands in his again. "He's not going to get you here. As long as you're on _Pegasus_ – you're safe."

She knew what he wanted to say, and she even thought it was sweet, but... "There are still not uncover cylon agents in the Fleet, Lee" she reminded and his smile was replaced by a frown. "There may be cylons right here, under your nose. That's what Laura asked me to do" she chastised herself, "to find out who that cylon parent was – if there was a hybrid. We would know about one more model. But I chickened. Well, I had no way to find Leoben, but maybe I could try, maybe..."

"Stop, Kara. You did nothing wrong. And Laura…" he hesitated, shook his head. Kara knew that what she told him about ex-president's involvement with Sharon's daughter was a shock to him. Much bigger than the child existence itself. Well it shocked her as well, but too many things were happening then, to worry about that particular matter.

Then she made herself forget, but then Leoben returned and frightened her again.

And now, for the first time in months, Kara felt truly relieved. Only a little, but this time it was for real.

"Thanks for making me talk."

"Anytime."

>>

Lee spent another hour or so in his office. He needed to finish some paperwork, but all those Kara's revelations didn't let him concentrate, so he finally gave up. He walked slowly to the XO's quarters, where his warm, chocolate-sweet XO was already waiting.

"That was one long meeting." He heard Anastasia's voice even before she appeared, clad only in her night gown. She wasn't sleeping though, for her eyes sparkled.

"Starbuck was assigned to _Pegasus_" Lee sighed, unbuttoning his uniform.

Dee's face hardened slightly at the mention of the unruly Major. But it swiftly resolved in a mischievous smile. "What happened? Did her pyramid star die, or something? I'm sure I'd have heard about this" she joked, but Lee didn't laugh.

"Dee, you're cruel" he said instead. "No, he's fine. Kara's husband is fine. But she had her reasons."

"Which you're not going to tell me about" Dee said, and Lee could not miss the reproach in her voice.

"Are you jealous?" he asked, hoping she'd get the hint and drop the subject. He slouched on the couch, in a desperate need of some relaxation.

But no, Dee was one stubborn woman. She kneeled before him, and started taking off his shoes, all the while dragging the subject. "Shouldn't I be? You have your first free evening in a few weeks. And you spend over two hours of that time with Kara Thrace, while you promised me some fun together. Lee, I missed you." She pushed herself up, and propped up against his thighs, her face so close to his.

"I'm sorry" he sighed, and caressed her cheek. "She had some problems I helped her solve. Well, partially anyway" he added. If it only was so easy to be solved by an hour of talking. But at least Kara had him to confide in now, that had to mean something to her.

"CAG problems?" Anastasia didn't let go yet. "Or pilot trainer problems?"

"Ana…" Lee begged, but she kept staring, expecting him to answer. So he did. "No. Personal problems." This was not the answer that could please his woman. Dee snorted, averting her sight, clearly unpleased. "She's my friend" Lee reminded. "She always has been, and she always will be. Deal with it!" He got up, lightly pushing her away. He really expected discussion to be over, but she stopped him nearly in the entrance to the bathroom, with yet another question.

"Are you sure you're not in love with her anymore?"

"Stop this right there." He turned to her angrily. She was definitely crossing the line now. And she didn't intend to stop!

"No, I'm serious. Don't you love her?" she kept asking, stepping closer to him. "Wouldn't you like the Pyramid to disappear in a mysterious circumstances, say accidentally airlocked, so you could comfort her, and then frak her?"

"You're so morbid" Lee gasped. He could hardly believe she was that jealous!

"Oh, and have sweet little Starpollos with her" she finished angrily. "Tell me, isn't that the picture of your dreams?"

He looked at her standing before him now – her chin risen, her eyes flashing. He hadn't seen that side of her earlier, but then – there really wasn't much of a confrontation between Dee and Starbuck in the past year.

"I am with you, in case you haven't noticed!" he stated, trying to remain calm. "But your behavior in becoming unacceptable!"

She sighed, but – surprisingly – didn't say anything more. Then she sighed again, and her face softened with compassion. "You're in denial" she said under her breath. "And that's going to be the death of you."

"Yeah, people used to be telling me, that Starbuck is going to be the death of me, but so far I live."

"Okay" she gave up. "Okay, I'm sorry. I got a little carried away."

"A little, right" Lee sighed, and went into the bathroom, hoping to have that shower finally.

But Ana forced him to turn around once more. "Lee, I'm sure you understand" she said quietly. "There's so much between the two of you. I will always feel threatened by her."

"Unnecessarily."

"I won't dig into that all over again, but... are you sure? Just answer to yourself. Not to me."

And with that statement she left him in peace finally. But what peace that was, when he had to go through all the questions and turmoil that he thought were far behind him, on the other side of the threshold called New Caprica? Memories of Kara, of being hopelessly in love with her were all back, and though the feelings were not as intense as they used to be, they were still there.

He loved Anastasia, but he knew for sure now – he could never stop loving Kara either.

As he came out of the shower, Dee was waiting for him, smiling, loving and understanding. She pushed him on the bed, and started rubbing his shoulders, and his back.

"You're tense."

"More than usual?"

"A little more in fact. So what happened? What are Kara's problems? I don't want you to tell me _what _they are exactly, jus how this affects you" she whispered, leaning to him, and kissing the base of his neck. Her lips were so soft, and her palms so delicate. She was by his side through everything, during this past year, she didn't let him down for a second. She was the best friend, companion, and executive officer he could imagine.

"That's the you I love Ana" he whispered. "Supportive."

"Isn't the burden lighter when you carry it together?" she replied. Weren't these the words he said to Kara not so long ago?

"Yeah. It is."

He didn't know how exactly, but eventually he told her all about Kara's encounter with the cylons. About Leoben's bargain, about Kara's fears, and about the possibility of Hera's being alive. He even told Dee about Kara's childhood, when she found it hard to understand the tough pilot's irrational fears of the cylons hurting the hybrid.

Perhaps he shouldn't have shared Kara's problems with Dee, but he really trusted his woman. They've been together through so much, and she proved so many times that she was reliable and didn't let emotions rule her, that he really didn't see a danger where a female fighting another female over a male was involved.

>>

t.b.c.


	7. The Deep, Deep Love

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Seven - THE DEEP, DEEP LOVE.

>>

Kara's neck hurt from sitting motionless for over two hours. But the reports needed to be done. She couldn't let her Commander down. It was surprising how good they still worked together, despite all the changes in their relationship, despite those months they'd been apart. They were still Starbuck and Apollo.

If only they could be that close privately... The thought surprised her. She was sure she got over him long ago. She had Sam now, she truly loved her husband, she was happy. But seeing Lee again brought back some of those emotions she felt for this Adama. Some of those emotions that could never be...

She lifted her head, when she felt she was being watched. A tiny figure stood in the doorway to the pilots briefing room. That one sure has changed. She was now a Lieutenant. Lieutenant Dualla.

Kara remembered that she used to like the quiet communications officer. Back then, before the attack, or even during the first months of war. Dee was always this nice shy person, but still someone who could listen when you needed to talk. When did that change? Probably at some point when Kara was back on Caprica. For the first time. Or maybe it wasn't Dee who's changed? Truth be told Kara felt everything changed then. Her whole world was different. She herself was different after all the things she experienced back "home". But it was not just that, her friends changed as well: Commander Adama – but then, he nearly died; Lee – mutinied, watched his father get shot in front of him; even Helo – it was like a come back from the dead, when she saw him at the Delphi Museum.

Dee was never one of her _friends_. That's why Kara could think it wasn't the Petty Officer who'd changed, but her own way of seeing the girl. But no. There was more to it. It was at some point while she was away, that Dualla started developing feelings for Lee Adama. And she was also more blunt and straight forward. Up to the point of being truly annoying.

Like right now for example. She stood in the hatch and smiled. It was a kind of a victorious smile, as if the two of them were at war, and Anastasia just won a battle. Starbuck shot her her most petrifying glance. And the dark skinned girl only smiled wider, and stepped towards the pilot.

"You don't need to worry" she started, and Kara had no idea what that was supposed to mean. But she didn't speak up, so Dualla cocked her head, watching her closely, scrutinizing. "Trust me, all is going to end up well."

"Right" Kara mustered, still refusing to play into Dualla's hands. She pretended to be focused on the papers in front of her.

"I know what you're afraid of" Dee whispered leaning closer to Kara over the table.

Kara wanted to smack her on the mouth. What the frak did that woman want? Afraid of? Dualla should be afraid! She managed to show several times how jealous she was of _Pegasus _Commander. And Kara knew very well, that the girl considered Starbuck as her greatest threat. So what was she aiming at right now?

That mysterious smile plastered to her face was really pissing Kara off. She needed just a little drive. Just a tiny little more.

"I know what you fear" Dee repeated, and pushed off of the table, to have a wider look at Starbck. "But you needn't worry. No child is going to be harmed."

What! All Kara managed to do was stare at Dualla with her mouth gaping open. How did the bitch know?

"Yes, Lee told me" Dee said, seriously this time, her smile gone. "You never thought he'd be such a gossiper, huh? Well, he tells me everything. But that's good this time, because see… I can now ease up your worries. He's not a child."

"What?" Kara finally breathed out. "I don't get... who's not a child, Lee?" She was so confused. What was Dualla really talking about?

The Lieutenant just gazed at her for a few moments. And then she answered. "The hybrid."

Kara only stared.

"The hybrid is not a child" Dualla repeated. "His parent is designed as a Number One. One and Two were created during the first war. The first hybrid is now an adult. You don't need to worry about condemning any child to any kind of abuse. What you have to take care of is setting a trap for Number One, so he would be disarmed and stopped protecting his offspring" Dualla continued her explanations as the realization finally dawned on Kara. She was now talking to a cylon.

"You..." she breathed out.

"Yes. Me. I'm your connection to Leoben. I'm supposed to tell you what you must do, and when. And you would really want to obey that" Dualla's demeanor, and her voice were nice and pleasant, but there was this dangerous hint to it. She was a monster. And now she smiled, and there was something similar about the way she, and her master smiled – there was no joy to it. "That's why you're not going to reveal who I am."

"Oh really?" Kara tried to mock, but it came out rather lame. She realized she was shaking – from anxiety, and from fear both.

"Yes really. You know yourself there are other agents in the Fleet. Even right here, on _Pegasus_. You don't want to put Samuel in danger, do you? And then, there's Lee..."

"You wouldn't hurt Lee!"

"Yes, and neither would you" Dualla made an effective pause. "Can you imagine how hurt he'd feel if he realized he spent a year in the arms of a cylon spy?"

"Not knowing the truth is hurting him more!" Kara hissed, but she didn't manage to intimidate the machine in front of her.

"And that's where you're wrong" the girl whispered. "But then... maybe you'd like him to be hurting?"

"You bitch!"

"You could try to comfort him then. Hold him, kiss him..."

"I could what?..." Being a cylon was one thing, but being out right rude was something totally different.

"You could comfort him, when I'm gone. The way I am comforting him now after a difficult battle, or after making difficult decisions. Wouldn't you like to comfort Lee Adama that way? I know this was once your dream..."

If that bitch only knew how close to the truth she was! "I'm married" Kara hissed, getting up.

"Does that mean you won't hop into my man's bed after I'm just a memory?"

That was it. Kara jumped on top of the table she was sitting at and attacked the cylon on the spot. The robot didn't even have time to blink.

But after the initial shock, it was Dualla, who dealt with Starbuck with ease. Kara had no idea how she ended up pinned face first to the floor, her arm twisted against her back. She couldn't even make a move.

"I don't want to hurt you" Dee whispered, leaning to her ear. "We don't want to hurt your husband either. But most of all I don't want the man I love to get hurt. Because you may think whatever you want – I love Lee Adama. You humans know nothing about us. We _are _capable of love. We do have emotions. We're not so different from you."

"You have no compassion. You murdered entire civilization!" Kara tried to scream, but Dualla covered her mouth.

"Shut up. Keep my secret. And wait for further instructions."

The Lieutenant, the vital member of CIC crew... the cylon... got up, and walked out of the briefing room without turning back once.

And left Kara in total dismay.

>>

It was the middle of the night when she returned to her quarters. CAG's quarters that she sheared with Sam.

But he was not asleep.

"A good book?" she tried to tease, but he didn't let her fool him.

"Boring to be honest." He put it on the shelf beside the bed, and looked directly at her. And that's when she knew she was lost. "What is going on, Kara? I know _everything _is messed up, but there's more to it. There's something you're hiding from me, and it started back on New Caprica. I know how to put two and two together, and I think it had something to do with the medications you got for me." He stared at her, as if reading her mind. She kept her eyes fixed on the floor, but even that could not save her. "I know it had something to do with that man, who came searching for you. Leoben, right? That was his name? What happened Kara?"

"Sam, I really..."

"Frak, girl! I love you, I'm your husband! And you feed me with some crap. How much longer is that going to last?"

Kara got up, and started pacing the floor. There wasn't much room to really gain speed. She felt like a wild animal in a cage.

"Frak, Kara!"

"Frak, Sam! Do you think it's easy for me? I'm only trying to protect you!"

"I don't need your protection!" He got up, and stepped to her. He held her by the arms, and forced to look at him. With their faces only inches from each other he stared at her meaningfully. "I'm a big boy, Starbuck" he whispered forcefully. "I have been for more than twenty years now, I had to grow up almost as quickly as you did. So please stop protecting me, because that's plain stupid. And I'd hate to think I married a stupid woman."

"How dare you?" she breathed out. He was making her furious.

"Speak up" he hissed pressing her against the wall, and his body against hers.

She shook her head, looking him straight in the eye. He had no idea. No frakking idea!

"I bought those antibiotics for you."

"And the price was..."

"My soul..."

>>

He couldn't seize to surprise her. Samuel understood everything just as well, as Lee, who knew her for years. After she screamed out her anger and frustration, she started crying, sobbing wildly, like she hadn't for so long, she couldn't remember. And he held her, kissed her, and comforted her until she kissed him back, and they ended up tearing each other's cloths off, and making love. Like they hadn't in weeks. Like they hadn't since he got sick, because he was to weak for this wildness, and later – she was too freaked out to ease up enough to let the passion take over.

She loved him. She really, really loved him.

Dualla's little cylon love was safe. At least from the threat that Starbuck was. But Kara just couldn't leave it like that. Even Sam said they had to tell Lee.

"The Commander must know, Kara" he tried to reason with her the next morning. "This is a matter of security of the whole Fleet! She is our enemy agent."

"I know, but I can't let him airlock her!" Kara erupted. "If I'm not in touch with Leoben, if I don't do what they ask... I really don't know what they'd do to you. I can't risk you getting hurt." She nearly broke into tears. She couldn't allow another man she loved to suffer because of her mistake!

"I won't let them hurt me" Sam tried to reassure her, but she knew better.

"These are killing machines, they know all our weaknesses, they know all about us. They'd get to you before you'd even blink."

"She's threatening you, and you let her. Is that this brave, invincible Starbuck I used to know?"

She looked at him, and in his eyes she saw faith, and courage she now lacked. All she needed to do was lean on him. He was the best thing that ever happened to her, she did not deserve a man like that. But here he was, by her side, willing to support her through every ordeal. Why couldn't she trust him sooner? Why did she wait this long?

>>

t.b.c.

Reviews and feedback will be greatly appreciated.


	8. Break It To Him Gently

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

NOTE: I believe I borrowed the title of this chapter from the title of some fic from this site, but I can't remember the author. Please, don't sue ;).

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Eight - BREAK IT TO HIM GENTLY

>>

Couple of days passed and the opportunity to talk to Lee face to face somehow didn't appear. There were always people around, and Kara needed the two of them to be alone, and she needed to be sure there would be no interruptions. Plus she needed to be sure Dualla wouldn't appear out of nowhere, what was a skill she mastered lately.

That's why Starbuck eventually came up with the weirdest idea.

"Maybe we could have a dinner together someday?" she asked Apollo after the morning briefing.

"A dinner?"

"Yeah. A private dinner at the Commander's quarters" she tried to make it sound light and un-obligatory. "I have a few things that I desperatelly need to talk to you about, and there never seems to be time, people come and go, and they always want something from you. I need us to have a moment of peace and quiet."

"Alright" he replied not hiding his surprise, and absently eyed and signed a piece of paper given to him by some Petty Officer. "Would tomorrow be fine with you? Today I should finally catch up with a few requests form Fleet Captains" he hesitated. "Actually tomorrow... To be honest I have pretty tight schedule for the next few days – as usual in fact – I must ask Dee where we could squeeze in a private dinner."

"Dee?" Kara gasped. That thing seemed to be able to appear even in a non-corporal forms.

"She keeps the schedule" Lee smiled apologetically, and exchanged a few words with someone from the navigation. Then he turned back to Kara. "You'll bring Sam of course?"

"Uh... actually..." she stammered. "I thought there could be just... you and me." It didn't sound quite the way she wanted. It sounded all wrong in fact. And he got the wrong idea of course.

"Is everything alright, Kara?" his forehead wrinkled in concern. "Between you and Sam – everything works?"

"Yes" she breathed out. How ironic that was! Her marriage with Samuel was incredibly perfect, and his... whatever it was – with Dualla was a disaster. And she was about to tell him the worst of truths. What she needed this dinner for, was to have an opportunity to _gently _break his heart. And he was concerned about her happiness!

Frak!

"Yes, Lee, everything is fine with me and Sam" she replied quietly, not looking at him. But then she lifted her gaze, and that was a mistake. "It's more... It is..." she started stammering again, and this was enough for Apollo to take her by the arm, and lead her to the mission planning room – empty at the moment.

"What is wrong?" he asked. He knew her better than anyone, and he knew – of course – that she was hiding something.

"Lee, I'd rather..."

"Have a moment of peace, I know" he cut in quietly. "But we don't have that luxury, and it looks like it's important. So just say it. Now."

She looked him in the eye, and tried not to see the silent support there. He was trying to be supportive for her, for frak's sake! This was worse than she thought it would be. How was she supposed to tell him that the woman he thougt he loved was a cylon? The worst enemy. Who was using him, and his position to the advantage of her ugly race. "Dee..." she started, and the words '_is a cylon_' choke in her throat. He had to go back to CIC, he needed to have a clear head, not be hurting and confused.

Some oficer entered the room with a few sheets of paper in hand, and the Commander dismissed him with a quick "Not now!" and turned back to Kara looking at her intently. "Dee what?" he urged, and waited for her to answer. When she said nothing, he suddenly swallowed hard and rubbed his face. He exhaled deeply before asking softly. "She talked to you, didn't she?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry." He turned away from her, and kept his gaze fixed on the far wall of the room. "I'm sorry Kara, but I... I trust her. During this past year she'd been the only one, who'd stayed by me through everything. I shared _everything _with her, my personal secrets, Fleet's secterts. _Everything_. I know I shouldn't have shared your secrets too, but..." He finally looked up, and she saw the opportunity to warn him without really telling the truth.

"You shouldn't trust her with _anything_."

"Kara..."

"I mean it Lee" she said with emphasis. "It's not about me. She didn't get to me on a personal level, at least not enough to really hurt me. But she's a gossiper. She's talking about all the stuff you tell her left and right."

"What?" Lee furrowed his brow.

And Kara continued. "In the mess hall, in the rec room. I'm sorry to say it, but she just can't keep her mouth shut." Suddenly it appeared so easy. All the reasons were there, she just had to recite them. "And maybe it didn't matter before, when we were stranded back on New Caprica, but now... Now the situation is different – there may be agents just waiting to hear some clasified info. She might sell it without even knowing." Kara stopped, anticipating his reaction. This was good. He had to believe that, he had to see the reason here.

But he was hesitant. "Listen..." he started, unsure. "I don't know what you're saying. And I don't know why, but I know Anastasia. And I don't believe in anything you're trying to imply. What do you want Kara?"

Frak! How could he be so stupid? How did that robot manage to get him so blinded? She got him wrapped aroud her finger, and now she was probably the most powerfull person in that Fleet! She probably fooled the Old Man too, he always had a soft spot for Dualla.

Kara didn't realize up till this point, just how much danger this little woman was.

"Is that this important thing you wanted to tell me?" Apollo asked, bemused.

"Partially" Kara breathed out. What was she supposed to do now? Tell him the whole truth? After that? He wouldn't believe her for sure, she just screwed up her chance. "I didn't want you to get hurt" she started sounding desperate, and knowing that. "I wanted to be more gentle about this, and say it in a more quiet manner. Make you believe me, because it is important. Because I am not lying."

"But you are." Of course she was. Of course he knew it. "I don't know for what reason, but you are lying now, Kara. I know Dee, but – remember – I know you well enough too. And I don't like what you're doing right now" he made a pause. And then he added in an all-business tone. "And that would be all, Major." The Commander turned around and strode back out of the mission room to the CIC.

Kara sighed. She was downright losing against the cylon. Dualla had a whole year of a solitary confinement up on a battlestar, to give him complete brainwash. But Apollo wasn't stupid! There had to be some way. And Kara knew of course what way that was – honesty. She should have said the truth the very moment she found out! After that right moment passed, it was just getting harder, and now it seemed nearly impossible.

As she got back to CIC, thinking what a screw up she was... she heard _her _voice.

"Ah, there you are, sir!" Dee chirped, snuggling around Lee. "I was looking for you, what was so..." as she started asking, her eyes fell on Kara Thrace, coming out of the room.

When their gazes met, Kara could swear there was a bolt of electricity firing from each of them. Dualla got scared.

Yes, this was it! The cylon would make a mistake.

Passing them, Kara gently squeezed Lee's arm, and whispered – loud enoug for Dee to hear it – "I'm really sorry, Lee." And once with her back to the Commander, she gave the cylon her most victirious Starbuck grinn.

"What did she tell you?" she heard Dee ask, when the door to CIC hissed open.

"Was there something she should have told me?" she heard Lee's surprised voice, just before the door hissed close.

Yes, the cylon would make a mistake. If only Apollo got his cue. But then – he always did. Apollo and Starbuck were working perfectly together when it came to battle. They were able to comunicate without words.

>>

In the evening Sam surprised her. Or rather it was Lee who was the author of this surprise.

"We are invited to the Commander's quarter for a dinner tomorrow."

"Wow" was all Kara could muster. She didn't really expect Lee to go for it after their discussion, but maybe Dee made that mistake in fact, and arose his suspicions?

"So. Did you tell him?" Sam inquired.

"I will."

"You were supposed to..."

"Samuel! Don't rush me. I told you I'd do it my way, and on my terms. But the good news is – he doesn't trust her anymore." She was so hoping that was true.

>>

During the dinner nothing really seemed to justify Kara's hopes. Lee was very cozy with his little cylon, and Dualla appeared relaxed. All the while Starbuck was getting more and more tense. And Lee's subtle queries and comments weren't helping.

Finally he asked a question, that made her realize the true reason he arranged this dinner.

"So, Sam" he started lightly. "The two of you really settled for a bright, shinny future together, didn't you?" there was a sincere friendliness in this question, and Sam smiled at Lee and then at his wife.

But Kara knew better than that. Lee mastered all façades – from calm and collected to overly happy. But he cut his steak with a little too much force, she saw it. His friendliness was just one more façade, while the truth was he simply wanted to make sure Kara was safe and happy with her pyramid-player husband.

Samuel replied with his infinite openness. "Sure we did." He smiled broadly, and looked at Kara sideways. "You know, call me crazy, given the circumstances we're in – constantly running away and all, but I have this image in my head – two unruly blonde boys, that I would teach to play pyramid. That would be something." He stretched his hand and gently squeezed Kara's palm over the table. Smiling happily all the time.

Kara froze. Boys? Two?

"You're planning to have kids?" Lee asked incredulously, saying out loud the words that were stuck in her throat.

"Sure" Sam replied confidently.

"Wow, that's new" Dee commented under her breath, not even looking up at Kara.

That sent a bolt up Starbuck's spine, and made her head explode with anger. "Are you jealous?" she hissed.

"Me?" Dualla looked up, startled.

"Well, you somehow didn't manage to get pregnant…" Kara started rising from her chair involuntary, when she felt Lee's hand on her arm.

"Both of you. Stop, please." He gazed from one woman to the other, expecting them to calm down.

"You started!" Kara stared at him, frightened that if he said one more word, she'd smack him. She gritted her teeth.

"Sit down" he said very quietly. "Please."

It worked. She sat.

When she cast a quick glance at her husband, she realized Sam was looking at her with surprise.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"I believe Kara will explain in more private…" Lee started, but Kara stopped him.

"Suddenly you're so discrete?" she accused. "You weren't before!"

"I admitted I was wrong…"

"Right."

They fell silent. This dinner was turning into a disaster. One more disaster. Kara wanted to just get up and get out of there. And that would probably be the best thing to do, but her mouth chose otherwise.

"I never wanted to have children" she started explaining, she needed to prove them all, that she trusted her husband. "I was… well… There was a bit more about my childhood, than I told you, Sam. All about running away from home, and arguing with my mother, and basically being brought up by the neighbors was true. But there was a bit more to it. A _bit _more." Sam was silent. They all listened in silence, and she didn't want to endure that. She hated herself for starting this, she hated Lee for forcing her to start this. "I don't want children, because they might end up like I did, if I was their mother. So there won't be any children. Frankly, I shouldn't be let anywhere near any child at all. Frankly, Sam, that was the main reason I was so freaked up, by what Leoben was…"

"Kara, maybe…" That was when Lee finally interrupted.

Kara gave him a disbelieving look. "Hey, it's not like there is anyone who doesn't know." Did he think she wouldn't tell Sam? Oh, wait, she told him, she hadn't told Sam. But, well, that had changed.

Samuel however tried to comprehend all she said. This was really new to him. "You mean you were afraid that some child would get hurt…" he asked hesitantly.

"Because of my actions" Kara finished for him. "Yes."

"It's good it's not a child" he sighed and Kara nodded.

"It's not?" Lee asked, surprised.

"Well, at least one hybrid is an adult" Kara explained, and when she looked up at him, she understood the implications of that statement.

He gazed at her, plain shock in his eyes. "How do you know?" he asked, already anticipating the answer. But not to full extent…

Kara's eyes moved from his to Dualla's. The woman was also looking at her questioningly, continuing her act of a good frakker, and XO and nothing more. How did Kara know, indeed?

"Because I spoke to a cylon" she replied, still staring straight into the said machine's eyes.

>>

t.b.c.

NOTE: It's really a pleasure to get a review. If you're writing too, you know how nice it is, right? So make me smile, and tell me if you like this story. Please.


	9. Half Cylon

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Nine - HALF-CYLON

>>

Lee was stunned – he had to admit. Kara got some new details concerning her "mission" from the cylons and she hadn't told him? More than that – she apparently trusted Sam with the news! But that was to be expected, Lee shouldn't have deceived himself, he was her confidant for a moment only, and she turned back to her beloved for support in an instant. At least he didn't need to worry about her and her happiness. She _was _happy.

That was supposed to be good.

But something was there. Something more. Why was she staring at Dee like this? What did she say? "_I spoke to a cylon._" Why was she staring at Dee?

And Dee…

Anastasia looked back at Kara, her face hard, defiant. And then she cast a glance at Lee, and for a brief moment he saw guilt and apology in her eyes.

And then he understood.

I spoke to a cylon…

Dee…

That's what Kara wanted to tell him the day before!

"I've never betrayed you" Dee whispered, but he barely heard her through the rage that started rising from his chest, from his pounding wildly heart, through his veins. Blood hummed in his ears with crazy da-dum, da-dum. The woman he loved. The woman he trusted. With _everything_! Everything! "I've never revealed any of your secrets, any of the Fleet's secrets. I was only here to have your child…"

"Marines!" he called.

"Don't" Kara interrupted, getting up. Lee realized he was standing, he didn't know when he got up, what he was doing, how he was doing it. All happened too fast, too… It was beyond him.

"Leave us alone" he stammered through a clenched teeth, clenched throat.

"Please, Lee. She's my connection to Leoben. She has to live, don't airlock her. Please."

"Is that why you kept it from me?" he gazed at Kara with icing eyes. "How long have you known anyway?"

"Couple of days."

"And you let me believe she was…" he couldn't go on. He couldn't believe.

"I tried Lee. Believe me I tried, but it was too hard. I didn't want to hurt you…"

"Bullshit!"

"Lee…"

"You wanted to keep her safe, because that would help you keep the Pyramid safe" Lee pointed at Sam. "You're going to have it. You win. She won't be airlocked. But the two of you will leave immediately, and leave me to talk to her. Now!"

Kara and Sam didn't hesitate a heart bit. They run out from the Commander's quarters in a matter of seconds. And Lee looked at his former girlfriend. His former XO. His former best friend, and best confidant.

She was sitting there motionless, so small and devastated.

For a second he felt something like a compassion towards her, but then he remembered what she was. And he couldn't sympathize any longer.

>>

Kara and Sam walked silently, but she was acutely aware of the sideways glances he cast from time to time. She knew he wanted to scold her… Damn, she wanted to scold herself! It wasn't supposed to be that way.

When they neared their quarters there was a group of four marines standing at the doorway. She was too stunned to react, but Sam inquired one of them, and learned that those were the Commander's orders. Of course. Safety first.

Coming through the hatch, Kara realized one of the marines was staring straight at her. They were never doing that, usually pretending to be just a piece of equipment, so it made her feel slightly uneasy, especially that his eyes under a helmet seemed familiar. But she had no time to wonder about that, because Sam was already calling her.

"Hey, look at that!" he yelled, and she felt her heart was somewhere in her throat. But his expression was elated.

"What?" she breathed out, too overwhelmed to voice any word aloud.

"Cally just gave birth to a baby boy! That's the message from Tyrol." He waved a piece of paper with clipped corners. "We got to respond. Gee, we got to go over there, to _Galactica_, visit with them!"

Kara couldn't help but smile, happy for their friends. The baby was born on time, Tyrol was a happy father – his joy came right through his words. They were going to name their boy William. She chuckled – it wouldn't surprise her if every other child in this fleet was named after the great Admiral! That was such a relief after a tough day…

Samuel was already checking the nearest transports to _Galactica_.

"We can't go right now, Sam" Kara reminded sadly.

"Why not?"

"Well… With all that…" she waved her hand, indicating everything around. And meaning Lee of course. She wasn't sure he'd understand though. He still thought Lee was just her wingman, her colleague, her partner only. Nothing more. He didn't know they were friends once. Close friends. That perhaps she was the only person the Commander could rely on with all this mess he was in right now.

Or maybe she was the person who should stay as far away as possible?

"The cylons?" Sam asked, and Kara needed to focus, to understand what he meant. Oh! not going to _Galactica_. He thought she thought about cylons. About their plans and her need to be here in case they wanted to start their operation. "Do you think they'd want you to act right now or something? Kara, you can spare yourself a day or two. You can… And you should… Relax. Gods, what they are doing with you!" He came close, and gripped her arms, looking at her intently.

"There's nothing we can do" she whispered.

"This… Dee… She should be interrogated! She should be forced to speak up!"

"It's not easy to interrogate a cylon. Trust me, I know" Kara remembered all too well how hard it was with Leoben. How he was leading her on, playing games, frakking with her head. Mixing lies with truth, truth with lies. They would find nothing through interrogation. "We can only guess."

"And given the info we have so far what can we guess?"

"We don't even know what of that info is true, and what is false. Frak!" She was so frustrated. "Guessing from what we know you could be that hybrid. Or Tyrol" she rose her voice, as her gaze fell on the message resting upon the table. And there she stopped. Tyrol. He'd been having those dreams last year… He'd told her about them one drunken night back on New Caprica.

He'd told her how he and Cally wind up together, because he bit the living shit out of the girl. He'd told her about Brother Cavil – the priest, the cylon who was "helping" him. Who was reassuring him he was not a cylon at all. But what if Tyrol was? Half-cylon. What if Cavil was his father?

"Kara?" Sam asked, noticing her discomfort.

Or what if Tyrol was full cylon, and the baby that had just been born was the hybrid?

That would fit. Dee revealed herself, because they were nearly ready. Because the child was about to be born. Could Tyrol be aware of what he was? Was that why he sent them this message? To get them to _Galactica_, to take the baby. Could he be a part of this plan?

"Kara, what's going on?"

Was this her paranoia speaking? Was she simply too tired with all those suspicions? They were surrounded by cylons! Dee, Tyrol…

The marine outside the door…

Suddenly she remembered the eyes that seemed too familiar.

Those were the eyes of Simon…

>>

After Lee gave a few necessary orders – the situation turned out to be far more dangerous than he ever suspected, and Kara needed protection – he turned back to the cylon that used to be his lover.

"Were you always…" he asked, fighting the lump in his throat. "Did you always know what you were? Even before the attacks? Or were you activated at some point?"

"I…" Dee started and hesitated.

"You what?"

"I always knew" she picked up, "but I wasn't always here. There was another Number Nine, and she was a sleeper."

"Nine."

"That's my designation."

"So you were switched" Lee asked, and the girl nodded. "When? How?"

She bit her lips and looked at the floor. But she was going to tell him, she was.

She inhaled, and looked up again. "Remember when you were boarded? At Kobol? The centurions were only supposed to drag your attention away from me. They also killed _her_."

"Frak." Lee needed to hit something. Hit something hard, so it would hurt. So his hand would bleed. He needed pain. Physical. The pain inside his soul was to huge to endure.

"The plan worked" Dee added in a whisper, tormenting him further. "You never noticed."

"Why?" He turned back, and pierced her with his stare. "Why were you switched? Why then?"

Dualla hesitated again. Inhaled, exhaled, inhaled once more. "She was supposed to be activated, but after all the problems we had with activating Eight… Boomer… She was human too long, and her human personality resisted. We were afraid of something alike with this Nine. So we came up with a backup plan."

"Right." Lee nodded.

"I was her link with the rest of our society. Just like one of the Boomers on Caprica was with Boomer here. I had all her memories. I feel I _was _her… In a way."

"Frak you were."

They both fell silent. Lee was trying to grasp what it all meant, what he was supposed to do. He should airlock her, that was the obvious course of action. That was what they were doing with the cylons. But Kara said "no". The situation they had now was different from any cylon encounter so far…

"Do you hate me?" Dualla's soft whisper startled him.

"Hate you?" He gazed at her. He thought for a moment, and then replied. "I don't hate you. I hate myself that I was so stupid, so blinded, that I let you manipulate me. Frak!" he hit the bulkhead. And his hand hurt, he was afraid he might have actually damaged something. But the pain did not distract him. "Here's what we'll do" he told her. Their eyes met, and her look was hurt, but still defiant. "You'll live, but you'll be in a cell. Like a cylon should. And you will follow with your mission, concerning the hybrid. If Kara says you're what she needs, then that's what you're going to be." The cylon's face hardened, her eyes flashed. "You're going to help Kara get what your colleagues want, and then you will all leave her alone. Is that clear?"

"I was right, saying you still loved her" Dee hissed.

"Is that clear?" Lee repeated louder.

"That's clear. I will help her get the hybrid. You bet I will!" she screamed as well, rising from her chair.

Hate radiated from her. Lee couldn't believe he could love her once. He couldn't believe he trusted her completely not more than an hour ago. He couldn't look at this thing any more…

"But I'm going to need access to the communication post if I'm going to fulfill my mission" she added evenly. "That's how I'll get the instructions from the central command."

"Is that right?" Lee mocked. "Okay then. You'll have limited access to the comm. station in CIC. But I will be watching your every move there, personally." He wanted to dismiss her. He wanted to kick her frakking ass out of this room. But instead he asked: "Who is this hybrid you want?"

She did not respond. She only gritted her teeth and pursed her lips.

"What was your mission really?" he persisted. "Was it about the hybrid from the start, or was it about me? Were you supposed to be close to the Commander's son? The Commander himself? Is that why you started this relationship with me? Because you were programmed to do so?"

The cylon's face softened. And Lee felt something like a pang of regret. That they were so different, that they were enemies. He really was attached to that woman. But she was no longer a woman to him! She was a robot!

"Both" she replied softly.

"Both?"

"I was supposed to be close to you. And I was supposed to be close to the hybrid. Those were my obstacles. Too bad I failed." She bowed her head, looking sincerely dismayed. And then she gazed up, tears welling up in her eyes. "I couldn't make you love me."

Lee sighed, and shook his head. Love. This was about love? "I did love you" he whispered bitterly, convinced about his honesty.

But she knew better than that. "No you didn't." She stepped closer. "We can't understand this, but the cylons need 'love factor' to conceive a child. You and I – we did not conceive a child, so I know my love was not mutual. I know that."

Lee stared at her, trying not to believe her. Trying not to feel compassion. "I'm sorry" he whispered, as if she was a human.

"I failed you" her voice was barely audible and tears fell down her cheeks. "But maybe there is still a chance. Maybe you could have a child with Kara. You love her, and she loved you once as well. I believe she still does…"

"Dee" Lee snickered. "What are you talking about? For one thing – me and Kara do not need a 'love factor' to have a child. We are both human..."

>>

t.b.c.

NOTE: At this point I'd love to know if _you _know who the hybrid is (well it's pretty obvious now, isn't it?), and when did you first guess it – in one of the earlier chapters (if you could be precise it would make me very happy), in this chapter or maybe you're still not sure. I'd like you to tell me that, because it's my first suspence story, and I want to know if I balanced hints and mystery well.  
Will be very greatfull!  
-Y-


	10. Before The Storm

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

NOTE: Thanks for all the comments, you may see the influence of some of them (especially starbuck042786 ;) in this chapter… It was supposed to look differently early on, but I like it better now.

And after some misunderstanding and mail problems, this chapter was finally BETAed by AMMONITE. Great thank you!

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Ten - BEFORE THE STORM

>>

"...and secondly – why would we have a child – none of us wants that" he carried on, and only then realized the change in her face. When he spoke the words _"we are both humans"._

Oh gods! How could he not see it sooner? When the truth was in front of him, it was so obvious... Kara.

Kara was the hybrid they wanted.

He sat on the couch, and Dualla must have noticed he paled or something, because she ran to him, so frightened, so apologetic.

"Lee? Are you okay?" she asked, stroking his chest, touching his chin lightly. He did not object – it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Kara – his Kara – was half cylon. How could that be? And what's more important – how could he protect her now?

"What do they want from..." he asked through a clenched throat. He couldn't speak louder. But he had to know!

Dee just looked at him with such compassion, that if he didn't know better, he could swear it was real. "Lee..." she choked. "Lee, I'm so sorry..." she whispered. "I was not supposed to tell you, you were not supposed to know."

"But I..."

"Shhh. Okay. _They _didn't want you to know. Command." She inhaled deeply. "But... let this be my proof to you, how much I really love you," she kept whispering. "I will betray them for you." She looked deep into his eyes, and he believed her. She was his only chance – he had to believe.

"Tell me what they want" he whispered again.

"They want to create a new race." She sat back on the floor and started talking. "They wanted… they wanted to know if a half-cylon could have a child. That's the sole reason they gave us this year." Tears sparkled in her eyes again.

Lee stared at her, trying to understand. A year was enough time to conceive a child, all right. But how could they control... Unless... "They wanted to mix the hybrid with a cylon…" he breathed out, and Dee only nodded, pursing her lips.

Lee suddenly felt sick. He needed water. He needed... Oh gods! Kara was out there with a real cylon... But that didn't happen either – he had to admit the thought made him suddenly ecstatic. Love factor – not included. She did not love her cylon, just like Lee did not love his.

"But now they gave up on that part of the plan," Dee continued softly, her head bowed. Lee totally forgot about her! He turned to look at her again, and saw how much pain she was in. "Now they believe this cannot happen. So they want to run tests, that's all. To explain the existence of…" she choke. "The reasons… The way to create the next hybrids, and next generations of hybrids." She looked up suddenly and her eyes sparkled with determination. "But I'm not going to let that happen!" she said clearly.

Lee gazed at her stunned. She loved him, fine. But was that enough for her to want to save the woman, who was her rival? Something wasn't exactly right here…

"The hybrid can still have a child" she said. "With a human. With a loved one."

>>

Kara froze. She couldn't breathe.

"Kara…" Sam came close to her, really frightened.

"There…" she choke out, pointing her finger at the door. "That is a… There is a…" She was trembling, stuttering, she didn't even think that seeing that particular cylon would make her freak out completely like that. She needed to collect herself. Frak, she was Kara _Starbuck _Thrace! "Simon" she managed to squeak.

"Simon?" Sam did not understand.

"Simon-Simon. The cylon doctor. From the Farm Simon. You know?" She watched as Samuel's eyes widen in terror.

"He's out there?" he whispered.

"Right outside these door. Posing as a marine. Who is supposed to protect us," she whispered back.

"Frak…"

"Frak…"

"We've got to call the Commander."

"We could ask him in, as in… wanting to talk, ask for something. And… Whack!" She hit the table with a loud thud. Louder even, that they were still speaking in low voices.

"Shh," Sam pressed his finger to his lips.

But Kara was in a rage. "I can't believe his arrogance! He was staring at me! Did he really think I would not recognize him?" She shook her head, as she strode toward the door. At a touch on the keypad it opened with a hiss. "Hey, um…" She smiled at the marines, and her heart went to her throat. "We need a hand with that… heavy…" she waved a hand inside, realizing she couldn't come up with a plan, when she was already in action.

"Closet" Sam rushed in with help. "Could you come in, and help us move it?" he asked with a smile. Easy, relaxed smile.

_Oh, frak! _– Kara thought. She didn't suspect that one… she didn't suspect Samuel… She also thought – too late – that Simon wanted to be recognized. They knew very well how impulsive she was. So far she had managed to not get manipulated this way, but now they were close. Now their plan was about to be completed, and they had out-maneuvered her so easily!

Simon entered the quarters smiling as well, and with him came another marine. Kara gasped. As the door hissed close, she realized she was staring straight at Hot-Dog.

>>

"Wait a minute?" Lee asked, totally dismayed. "Are you saying that I should have a child with Kara?"

"It's your only chance," Dee replied.

Lee shook his head. "I don't understand," he said softly. "Why are you doing this? Why do you want me to be with Kara, this doesn't make sense!" Oh, he wanted that to be true! He wanted to be with Kara, he wanted to give her a child, even if he never really wanted children. But if that was the way to save her – he'd do it gladly. But somehow he stopped believing Dee. It was simply impossible.

Dualla was about to break into tears all over again. "I love you" she whispered. "If the only way to save you is to make you be with another woman, then… let it be so. I won't let them hurt you."

"Me?"

"You. It is about you," she said.

And Lee's world slid out from under his feet.

>>

Was she with three cylons now? Frantically, Kara tried to think. What to do? What to do now?

"What do you want?" Samuel asked - instead of her. He stood opposite the two cylons, his hands folded on his chest, proud, strong, defensive. Kara stared at him with disbelief. Was he, or wasn't he a cylon? They were talking once – she remembered – that if he were a cylon, that would be a terrible waste of resources. No other copies of his model would be able to walk the Twelve Colonies and not be recognized. He was safe. She was silly.

"We do not want to talk to you" Simon replied. "We want to talk to her."

>>

"I don't believe this!" Lee shouted. "I don't believe you!"

"I'm sorry" Dee crumpled. "What did you think…"

"That's enough!" the Commander went to the door, and called a marine. "Get three of your people here, enter, and you'll receive orders." He strode back inside.

"Lee, you're not going to…"

"Shut up! You lying machine! I won't hear you any longer. You're deceiving, manipulating, lying. Lying! Shut up!" he yelled, unable to control his fury any longer. This was too much. Just too much! He picked up the receiver. "Give me _Galactica _actual."

"Lee, listen to me…" the cylon pleaded.

"Shut up!"

"_Galactica _actual here." Lee heard his father's husky voice on the other side of wireless, and he couldn't speak for a moment. If he was a hybrid, then either his father was a cylon, or his mother had been. He didn't know what was worse - was the Fleet being led by a cylon?

"We have a situation here, sir," he choked out, his heart pounding.

"What is it?"

"I'd rather not talk on the wireless. We need your presence here."

"No, Lee, don't…" Dee started calling, but he just covered his ear, muffling the sound. He wasn't going to listen to her, he needed to make his own decisions.

"Get here as soon as you can. Code blue."

"I'm on my way."

Lee turned to the marines, ordering them to take Dualla away, lock her up in a cell, and not allow anyone to talk to her. He ignored her screams, pleas, and warnings not to let his father come. Of course she wouldn't want his father here – he wouldn't hesitate to give the order to airlock her.

But when she was taken away, and Lee stayed alone in silence, he started thinking. He was a hybrid… no, that was too huge to absorb. His father could be a cylon. Was that what Dee was trying to warn him about? She didn't want him around, because of his programming, and all… Lee needed to know. He at least needed to know which of his parents was a machine. If Dualla wasn't lying, of course…

>>

"Frak you!" Kara sputtered. She wanted to jump at them, and wipe the floor with their asses, and their faces. But they both only stared, Simon-model smiling in this annoying cynical-cylonic way.

"Why the hostility?" he asked with endless calmness.

"As if you didn't know" Kara hissed, nearing them involuntary. Sam's arms encircled her waist, putting her to a stop. She cast fiery glances from the black-skinned cylon, to the one she used to call her friend, used to trust. And back. She didn't know which one she hated more at the moment. "Traitor!" she spat at the one that looked like Constanza.

"Looks like you're never going to trust Hot-Dog again" the machine said mockingly.

"I'm going to kill him the first thing when I see him!" she yelled, and Sam had to restrain her again, or else she'd force herself on the fake-marine.

"But you used to be his friend!" Simon asked incredulously.

Kara gasped. Did that thing really think she would trust anyone, once she knew that was a machine? "So was Sharon" she reminded in a whisper.

"Does that mean you'd kill any cylon?" Simon asked. "No matter how close to you it was before you realized _what _it was?"

"Yes" Kara responded and felt her tension melting away into fear. Into terror. She looked back at Sam, still holding her. His gaze was fixed at the twosome, and there was determination in his eyes. No, he was not a cylon. It was not him.

"Good." She heard Simon's voice again. "That's very good. Because your mission is coming to a conclusion."

>>

Lee went down to the brig. He opened the door to her cell and eyed her.

She sat on her rack looking back at him with sad and knowing eyes.

The door closed, separating them from the ears of any witnesses.

"Which of my parents was a cylon?" he asked simply.

"Your father." Her answer was equally simple.

They fell silent. Lee tried to grasp it. He still couldn't face the fact of _what _he was, but knowledge that the cylon was their leader ever since the destruction of the Colonies was distressing.

"Was he leading us straight into your hands all the time?" he asked under his breath.

"No," Dualla sighed. "Not at all. Quite to the contrary. He has no contact with Central. In fact, we weren't even certain it was him, only after the shooting…" she stopped. She searched his face for some emotional response, but he was devoid of emotion right now. "He received a shot that would kill any human being. Yet he survived; he was stronger than any human would be. That's how we knew. That's why I was switched," she added in a whisper.

"Am I supposed to believe he is not following his programming? That he somehow overrode it? I thought that was not possible!"

"Well it turns out it is possible. In fact, he managed to do it many years ago." Dualla got up and stepped closer to him. She started explaining. "His designation is Number One and his model, along with Number Two, was created during the first war. This copy then fell in love, had a child – you – and rebelled. He returned to our home world to destroy the resurrection facility, along with all his and Two's copies. He also managed to kill all his active copies, and nearly all copies of Two. Two were left – ironic isn't it? One One, and Two Twos" she chucked slightly. Lee would laugh too if it wasn't so tragic. "Central lost track of him then. But it served our purpose in the end – if we attacked at that time, with only those two human forms, we would probably lose. It took another thirty years to rebuild the machinery and create the next ten models." She stopped talking abruptly. And changed the subject. "But the point is – he was, and still is – on his own. That's why Central wants to kill him. Their plan is to get the two of you in the same place, kill him, and capture you at the same time. That's why he shouldn't come here now."

Lee assessed her for a long while. Could he believe her? Why should he believe any of this? This was too frakked up. This was crazy.

He turned around and left her without another word. He was needed elsewhere. The raptor, with the Admiral onboard, was about to dock with _Pegasus_.

>>

t.b.c.


	11. Clandestino

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

NOTE: Great thanks for all the reviews! You people make my day.

Beta'ed by AMMONITE. Thank you!

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Eleven - _CLANDESTINO_

>>

The Admiral strode towards his son as soon as the hatch of the raptor was opened. He didn't even bother with dismissing Hot-Dog, who brought him to _Pegasus._

"What's going on?" he asked right away.

Lee swallowed hard, as the reality hit him. He was talking to a cylon. To a frakking cylon! It didn't even matter that he was half the machine himself. He was standing in front of a cylon. "We need a more private place, sir," he finally managed to say.

They left the crowded hangar bay in a hurry.

>>

Simon glared at her, and Kara couldn't move. "You'd better go now" he said. "I'll stay here with our friend Anders." He stepped towards them as he spoke, and suddenly hit Sam in the head with the back of his gun.

Kara shrieked and jumped at him, but he sent her flying with a swift move of his hand. "Don't mess with us," he hissed. "You stand no chance."

She needed a moment to clear her head, and she watched with terror as Sam lay on the floor not moving, Simon-cylon leaned over him, and fastened his arms and legs.

The Hot-Dog model came to her and held out his hand. "You'll come with me."

>>

As soon as they were in an empty briefing room, Lee locked all the doors and turned to his father - to the cylon.

He needed to stop thinking this. But first – he needed to know.

"We uncovered the identity of…another cylon," he started, his throat tight. "Model Number One."

If there was a change in his father's face, it was so brief Lee could have easily missed it. After he blinked once, he wasn't sure if it ever was there. The Admiral's expression was it's usual mask.

"Who is it?" he asked.

Lee swallowed hard. "You tell me," he whispered.

His father gazed at him for a long while. Then he finally spoke. "How can I tell _you_? You said _you _uncovered a cylon."

Lee breathed in and out before even trying to respond. He wasn't sure what it was he felt at the moment – relief? That it wasn't he and his father - that Dualla lied; or fear? That they were back to the situation in which they hadn't known anything.

Or worse – that the hybrid was really Kara.

>>

Kara tried to resist, but two guns – one pointed at her husband's head, the other into her own face – convinced her. She'd have time to fight this later; she'd have to fight. If she could only bring Apollo up to date with the situation. Frak! Calling him should have been the first thing to do when she realized it was Simon outside her door. But she was Starbuck – first act, later think.

The cylon lowered his gun as they walked the corridors of _Pegasus_, but kept it pressed against her side.

"I know what you're thinking Starbuck" he hissed. "I know you. We used to fly together."

That was one arrogant bastard! "No we didn't" Starbuck replied through clenched teeth.

"It's just like Boomer" the cylon smiled, relaxed. "We share memories – those sleepers need to be controlled. I know how he admires you, and – frankly – I share that feeling too." There was an eerie mixture of esteem and mockery in his voice. Two opposites. "You're my hero."

"Frak off!"

"Thought you were capable of more."

She nearly jumped at him for this, but he stopped her with a simple raising of his palm. And then he pointed behind his back.

"Remember? Samuel. He's back there with our agent. You wouldn't like him to get hurt would you?" He gazed her for a moment, until he saw the answer in her eyes. "You'll obey orders. And now – watch this." He smiled, and as they turned the corner they saw…

Hot-Dog.

>>

The Admiral gazed at his confused son, and decided to break the silence.

"Alright" he sighed. "_Who _told you that I was a cylon?"

Lee looked up and assessed his father. "I never said it _was _you. I only implied that you knew." His heart, already racing like crazy, sped up even more.

"Hmm." Adama gave his son a look, but his face still betrayed no emotion. "I assumed" he explained simply. "They keep lying, deceiving us, trying to pit us against one another. Leoben tried that trick with Laura Roslin already. Back when Kara interrogated him on _Gemenon Traveller_. He told the President I was a cylon, but he was proved wrong. Now, _who _was it this time?"

Lee's mind was set on a name his father mentioned, but he tried to answer nonetheless. "Um, it was Dualla. Did you say Leoben?"

"Dualla? Lieutenant Dualla?" the Admiral asked, as if there was some other Dualla, ignoring Lee's query.

"Yes" Lee confirmed. "She's Model Number Nine."

"So there _was _a cylon agent uncovered after all?" the Admiral mocked, and Lee scowled slightly.

"Are you saying that she lied?" he asked bluntly. "About you?"

"Most certainly!" The Admiral's offended anger seemed too sincere to be a feign. "Where is she?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"In the brig."

"Let's go!

"After you, sir."

The Admiral strode form the briefing room in a hurry, and the Commander quickly followed.

They walked in silence, side by side. And again it was the father to break the silence first.

"What does she want?" he asked.

"Well the thing is…" Lee hesitated. Where should he start? From the beginning of course. "This whole story has actually started with Leoben, and with what _he _wanted."

The Admiral shot a glance at his Commander. "Keep going."

"This model came to Kara, back on New Caprica" Lee started explaining. "He sold her antibiotics for Anders – he had pneumonia. In exchange Leoben asked Kara to help them get the human-cylon hybrid."

"The hybrid?" the Admiral stopped abruptly and turned to look his son in the eye. Lee was unpleasantly startled by a sudden fear he saw in his father's face. "What do they want from the hybrid?"

This was not the question the Admiral was supposed to ask. Both Lee and Kara first wondered how the cylons could have wanted anything, if the only hybrid _they _knew about – Sharon's daughter – was dead. There could be two answers – either the older Adama knew about Hera's survival, or he was concerned about his own child.

Lee swallowed hard and opened his mouth wanting to reply, but his father beat him to it once more.

"Kara is supposed to get the hybrid?" he asked frantically. "And deliver it to them?"

"That's right."

"Where is Kara?"

"In her quarters" Lee answered trying for all gods' sakes to remain calm. He hated where this was going. _Focus on the question, Lee, focus on Kara._ "She's safe. She's under guard."

>>

The pilot, wearing a flight suit, looked exactly the same as the marine standing next to her. Kara expected the former to be shocked, to be frightened, to resist maybe. But he made no move at all.

The conscious cylon agent motioned the two of them to a nearby equipment locker and, once they entered, hit Hot-Dog in the head with the back of his gun. Shocked, Kara couldn't help a sharp muffled scream. The pilot was obviously dead, without the slightest trace of a fight. There was no survival instinct whatsoever. Just programming.

It made her sick to the stomach, and she bent over losing the remnants of the dinner she had in Lee's quarters just minutes ago. Or maybe it was years?

As the cylon was undressing his prone copy and himself and changing into the flight suit, he started telling Kara what her objectives were.

"Our job should be simple" he started. "I am to capture the hybrid and take it to the Basestar that is waiting nearby. But we need to get rid of the cylon parent. This is going to be easy – they trust us both." He looked up with a smug smile on his face.

Kara eyed him with disgust. "So I'm supposed to kill someone I know, just because you tell me it's a cylon?" she asked in a mocking tone.

"Well, Kara…" Hot-Dog looked up and smiled. "Remember about Samuel. The choice here is really simple – it's between the man you love and the man you don't."

She only gritted her teeth.

The cylon got up and motioned for her to follow him. And just a few paces further she saw William and Lee Adama walking towards them.

>>

Lee stopped dead in his tracks.

"Kara" he gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Kara was trying to think of a good excuse for her and her companion, when something suddenly clicked in her head. A thought so ugly that she nearly blacked out. But no, she was stronger than that. She was a fighter.

And she was a loyal friend too.

"Code blue" she mouthed to Lee, before Hot-Dog had a chance to realize what she was doing.

With perfect timing Starbuck gently elbowed Hot-Dog, and smirked at him, drawing his attention, while Apollo drew his side-arm and pressed it to the pilot/cylon's chin. Starbuck grabbed the cylon's gun and jerked it from his hands with a forceful move. She thrust it into his guts, and she would have fired if she hadn't felt a steadying hand on her shoulder.

"Give me the gun, Kara" the Admiral whispered. She turned and gave it to him immediately, looking him straight in the eye.

"Yes, sir" she breathed out. _This can't be, this can't be _– a little voice in her head kept repeating.

"Hey, what do you want from me?" Hot-Dog screamed frantically, faking terror.

Kara's blood boiled. "You want me to lead them to the equipment locker we left your dead _Galactica _copy in?" She screamed into his face and was held back by Adama once again.

"There's no time for this Kara." The Admiral already had handcuffs that he had taken from one of the marines, standing by, weapons ready. "If she says you're a cylon, I believe her, Constanza, I'm sorry. We'll confirm it later. Meanwhile we'll take you to the brig, just in case. We were headed there anyway. Starbuck, do you mind accompanying us? Apparently you know a lot about what is going on here."

"Actually, sir," Lee interrupted, pushing a cuffed Hot-Dog in front of him, still at a gun point, "she knows significantly less than I do now - than I suspect." He corrected himself, looking his father in the eye.

"I understand," the Admiral replied slowly, returning his son's stare.

Kara felt sick again, at both – this silent communication between them, and at her own suspicions. Did they even have anything other than suspicions? Frak! Her head was really frakked up right now, these cylons were masters at that. She should tell them – the Adamas – shouldn't she? But what would they think about her? If she admitted what she suspected them of, they would hate her forever. There had to be some other way! Any other way…

As she frantically searched for a solution in her head, the Admiral asked her something. He had to repeat the question for her to understand.

"You were supposed to deliver the hybrid to the cylons?"

"That's correct, sir."

"And what next?"

"I was also supposed to kill its father" she whispered. This resolution was too obvious. Too obvious. This couldn't be, there had to be another explanation.

>>

Lee listened to his father quizzing Starbuck; he watched the back of Hot-Dog's head, as the pilot – the cylon – walked before him, and heard his pulse pounding in his ears faster and faster. He was scared. He was terrified.

"Alright" the Admiral said to Kara. "What do the cylons want from the hybrid?"

Why did he ask that? Why? Why!

Kara didn't know of course, the cylons hadn't shared that much with her.

"Constanza?" The Admiral turned to their captive, and Hot-Dog swirled around, using the opportunity to be heard.

"I'm not a frakking cylon!" he yelled. But that was what they always said.

Lee – not even fully aware of what he was doing – pushed the taller man against the wall, and pressed the gun to his temple. He realized his hand shook, and his finger on the trigger could easily slip.

"Shut it" he forced from his mouth.

"Lee…" he felt his father's presence right behind him, and that was enough.

"You want to know what they want?" he blurted, before he considered the best course of action. "You want to know? Because I can tell you! Dee shared a few things with me. She told me what their plan was. What their plan _had been. _Initially. They wanted to create the next generation of hybrids. Mix it with another cylon. But since that plan has failed, they only want to run some cylon tests on it. Then kill it. And run some more tests on the corpse. Just to find out why it even exists. How the frak was it's existence possible!" he stopped yelling, when he realized what he had just done.

Breathing hard, he turned around and gave the weapon over to his father without a word. Then he met Kara's frightened gaze. He shouldn't have exploded like that, he shouldn't have… She had no idea what that was about, she didn't know what Dualla told him. She didn't know any of this…

His father laid a hand on his shoulder. "We won't let that happen," he whispered.

>>

_The choice is simple _– Hot-Dog's words rung in Kara's ears, – _it's between the man you love, and the man you don't._

Well, Hot-Dog was wrong…

>>

t.b.c.


	12. The Triator

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

NOTE: Great thanks for all the reviews! Sorry it takes so long to update chapters now; blame it on the spring…

Also - thank you for beta - AMMONITE!

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Twelve- THE TRAITOR

>>

"_So it is true?_"- Lee wanted to ask. But he managed to keep his desire in check this time – the outburst from just seconds ago had taught him that.

Too many people were around, marines and all. Plus Kara. He didn't want her to know the truth. He didn't want her to hate him, just like she hated Hot Dog now. It was so simple to change what one felt, when realizing one's friend was an enemy…

But that single statement from his father erased all doubts, all confusion. He was half-cylon. His father was a cylon. Who – for some odd reason – decided to betray his species, and would give everything to protect his child. Lee never thought his father would do that, but here he had proof. An obvious proof. There was nothing more important to the cylon Bill Adama, than his son.

"Kara, we…" Bill started, but Lee cut in.

"We should take it from here" he said, looking at her firmly. "We know what they want, we can manage that. You should go back to your quarters and stay put."

"I know what they want too" she replied, and Lee's heart froze. Did she really know? Really? "And I'm not safe in my quarters at all. How do you think I ended up here? They posed as guards! Simon model is there. With Sam…" she choked, and Lee felt so sorry for her, and so furious at the same time. Sam! "They'll kill him if I return without…" she hesitated, not looking up at him, "without the hybrid."

That complicated things.

"We can't give him away" Adama stressed. "We won't."

"But we can't let them kill Anders either" Lee pointed out softly, staring at the floor, suddenly unable to look Starbuck in the eye.

"Now don't tell me you're going to join in with them?" Hot Dog asked incredulously all of a sudden. "You said you wouldn't trust a cylon, no matter what, them being determined by programming and all…"

They had forgotten all about him! And about the marines, and a few curious crewmembers standing in the corridor. Kara jumped up, hearing Hot-Dog's voice. She leaped to him, and hissed straight into his face.

"You thought you knew me didn't you? You thought you could manipulate me, but you're nothing like Leoben. What he said… I did everything the way he wanted. Everything. Even letting Lee in on this – he wanted me to do that, now I know he did. But you? You failed… Hot Dog."

"I only did what Leoben told me to do. So _his _plan failed" Hot Dog replied, staring at her, unabashed.

Lee grabbed Starbuck's arms, surprised at how composed he suddenly felt. "Calm down. We'll figure something out. But first things first – this needs to be taken to the brig." He motioned to Hot Dog.

Then he ordered the marines to take care of the matter – assigning five of them to the task, just in case. Though if he was correct in his calculations, they had all the male models uncovered at this point. When the group left, he took Starbuck and the Admiral back to his quarters. None of them said another word on their way there.

But Lee's mind raced through possibilities. Giving himself up to save Starbuck's love seemed like a very tempting and amorous gesture. But he was the Fleet's Commander and had more responsibilities than protecting the woman he loved… Dee was right - he loved her still… That was not a thought he wanted to disturb him while making decisions that might change everyone's lives!

Trying to push Starbuck out of his mind, Lee thought about another – larger – problem. The Fleet was being led by the two cylons – him and his father. If, by any chance, Madam Roslin was a cylon too – three female cylons were missing from the equation – that would make things really funny. She had just won the debate about overthrowing President Baltar, and was on her way back to presidency herself.

That was just a suspicion, not a fact, and it dragged Lee's attention away from the matter at hand. His father. And he, himself. Were they worth protecting? What were his father's purposes? Programming, or his own free will, that he somehow managed to accomplish and sustain? Was he helping humanity, or cylons? These were the questions that needed to be answered, but first they had to solve Kara's problem and save Anders.

There was no way they could do it without telling her what they were.

As they stepped into his quarters, Lee turned to face them both, and took a deep breath.

"Firstly, we need to know the truth. We must know where we stand, and then… We can figure out how to use it." He paused and turned his attention to his father. "Dad?"

The older man sighed deeply. He had been hiding this for so many years. It seemed impossible to say the words aloud.

"I am a cylon" he whispered. "Model Number One."

Lee cast a quick glance at Kara, and in her eyes – instead of shock and hatred – he saw pain and genuine compassion. And then she looked up at him, and he realized she was going to fight for him too. And for his father.

That was hard to believe, he couldn't do that… But then he remembered what his first thoughts were, when he thought Kara was the hybrid – it was how to save her. They were not so different then, and whatever they felt for each other – was mutual.

He smiled weakly.

"Okay" he sighed. "So that means they want me. We could give them…"

"No" Kara objected immediately, even before he finished the sentence. He looked up and their eyes locked once more. Lee felt warmth and a spark of happiness among all the misery that his world had become in the last hours.

"Or we could make them believe they'd gotten what they wanted, for just long enough to retake Samuel."

"They won't let us get away with it that easily" Bill Adama interrupted – a voice of reason as always.

"I'm aware of that. That's why we need to come up with some crazy-ass plan. Having a bunch of marines behind our backs to take this Simon out, seems too simple. So maybe that's what we should do?"

"And then what?" Kara chimed in. "I would just come in, with you at gun point, and tell him that I killed the Admiral? He'd never buy it. And without Hot-Dog to confirm my story…

"Besides we don't know if Simon is still alone in there" Adama wondered. "He might have gotten back up." He hesitated, and turned to Kara. "This was not our _Galactica _Hot-Dog?"

"No. He killed that other one."

"You're sure?"

Kara eyed him suspiciously "Pretty much, yes."

She wondered what the Admiral had on mind, but she didn't like where this was going.

"Even if he's alive, I wouldn't trust him anyway." Lee apparently shared her reservations. "He's been a sleeper, he has those hidden protocols. I would even trust Dee more on this…" Suddenly he stopped and gazed at Kara and his father. "Wait a minute" he breathed out. "We actually might, she betrayed them already, she told me everything."

"You don't know that" Starbuck preferred to be cautious.

But she didn't know the whole story. There were things Dee had said that Lee would rather not tell Kara. However, remembering them now, made him believe once again in the honesty of the woman he used to trust with everything over the past year.

"We are where we are now, because she told me" he stressed. "If I wasn't aware, if I didn't ask my father… Hot-Dog let you in on it, right?" he asked suddenly. He just wanted to make sure – she didn't seem shocked at the revelation of them being cylons. In fact she's taken it much better than he had.

"Hinted" Kara admitted softly, looking at him with eyes that were saying: _it doesn't matter anyway._

Lee acknowledged her silent message with a nod. "But we were prepared, more or less" he returned to the subject. "If we were completely clueless, it all might have turned out differently. We would certainly not be standing here discussing the plan right now. She helped us, even if it was at the very last moment. She did it out of love, and it doesn't matter if that love was pre-programmed; as a result of that, she's overridden her programming."

"Could she really do that?" Kara had doubts, Leoben did ask her just that, back on New Caprica… But then she looked up to the Admiral, to the man who was like a father to her. If all cylons were determined by their programming and nothing more, then he was as well. She couldn't trust him, she should really kill him.

Lee stared at his father too. And Bill Adama knew why they did.

"I don't know if she can" he sighed. And then he admitted. "I did. I really did. Out of love – that's true. That's why I was willing to trust Sharon for as long as she was protecting Helo and her child. But truth be told – I started having doubts over time. They are more advanced models than I was. They may have some additional security protocols. And even I had trouble, I must be sure with all my decisions, must reconsider them each time, because some of them – those made on impulse mostly – may be the result of my programming, not my conscious mind. I know that initiating the search of Earth was pre-programmed. That was the cylons' goal in the first war." He stopped suddenly, as he realized this was not the subject. "I'm straying. Truth is – I can't be any guarantee that we can trust Dualla."

"I would take that risk" said Lee. "Even if she betrays us, we'd gain precious seconds – definitely more, than we'd have if just Kara and I stepped in. And if she's been honest with me – we'd have a cylon on our side. That's a worth we can't underestimate."

>>

Against Lee's and Kara's advice, Bill Adama decided to go to the brig with them. He said he wanted to see Dualla, and talk to her himself.

Lee and Kara waited outside while he talked to the cylon, but neither of them felt like having small talk. Both fully aware that whatever their relationship was, it was now going to change forever. Even if Kara decided to remain faithful to the two friends – who she knew would give their life for her and had proved it tenfold – the recognition of their divergence was going to cast a shade on their friendship.

The Admiral didn't talk to his ex-officer long, but whatever she told him made him trust her; he ordered the guards to release her and told the twosome to proceed with the plan. They only had a few minutes – on their way to the quarters – to fill her in on the plan. When they did, Lee asked her once more if she was on their side.

Dee cast a glance at Starbuck, not even pretending to be fond of her. But she said she was with them. "I already did all I needed to do, to make them box me once I get to be resurrected. Did you know that the name they gave me – Anastasia – means "resurrection" in the language of Kobol? Ironic, isn't it?"

Lee gave Anastasia his gun and let Kara tie his wrists – loosely, so he could free himself fast enough. Ten marines were lurking in the corridor, waiting to aid their Commander if necessary.

With that they entered.

They were greeted by five blank eyes of guns.

"Friendly!" Kara yelled on instinct, changing her aim from Lee to the five cylons. "We got him, alright?"

"She consented" Dualla confirmed her words.

"Now give me my husband back, and we'll leave!"

Silence was the answer. And after this first moment of surprise, Kara started recognizing faces: there was Simon, alright; Leoben slightly to the left with that enigmatic smile of his; another Dualla model; two Hot-Dogs, and… Mrs. Tigh. At least she had no gun…

"Well, well, well…" Ellen stepped forward, lowering guns of Simon, both Hot-Dogs and Dualla, as she passed them. Leoben lowered his. The blonde stopped in front of Kara and pulled down the pilot's gun as well, their faces just inches apart. "Starbuck betrayed Apollo. How unlikely." Then her gaze went to Lee, down to his fastened hands, then to Dualla, standing next to him, her gun hesitantly pointed at his head. "And you?" Ellen asked, rising her eyebrows. "Last I heard you loved him. Sincerely. But then – things change, don't they?" She turned away from them, and faced her fellow cylons. "Looks like we got it!"

"Adama is dead?" asked Simon.

"Yes."

Ellen Tigh snorted lightly. Kara met her amused gaze and thought how much she detested this woman.

"And Eleven?… Hot-Dog?" asked Hot-Dog.

"He shot him" Dualla elbowed Lee.

Kara concentrated on searching for Samuel. He was nowhere in sight, and since saving him was their task – they couldn't move, until they located the man.

Kara couldn't just wait. "Where is Sam?" she urged.

"Safe" replied Simon. "We'll take the hybrid now, and once we're away, you'll receive instructions…"

"No frak!" Kara cut in. "I want him here! Now!" She was losing her nerve. This plan was so stupid, so incredibly stupid! How could they even suspect they'd be able to do anything against those cylons!

And then in the silence that fell after her scream, she heard a muffled, but obvious "Karrr!…" from behind the wall.

"Go" she said, and kicked the hatch behind her with a lout _thud_.

As the door slid open, she, Lee and Dualla ducked, exposing the six cylons to the guns of the approaching marines. But the cylons started shooting too. Lee freed his hands, and jerked another gun from behind Kara's back. Firing, he pulled her and Dee behind a couch standing to the right. Not the safest hiding place, but it was the best they could do.

Listening to the blast of gun-fire, Kara gazed longingly at the door leading to the back of the apartment, from where she heard Samuel's plea. And when she cast a glance at the cylons and the marines, she saw that only the Dualla model lay unmoving, the other five hid behind a furniture on the other side of the room.

They were being shot at by only three marines – the rest already flat out on the floor. And those three weren't going to last much longer either.

>>

t.b.c.

Please, review!


	13. The Goal

DISCLAIMER: The character's and the universe of the _Battlestar Galactica _do not belong to me.

NOTE: Thank you everyone for reading this, and special thanks to all those who commented on this story. This is the last chapter. I hope you like what happens here, and that you will be surprised with the final solution.

Thank you to AMMONITE for beta.

>>

HYBRID by -yannik-

Chapter Thirteen - THE GOAL

>>

_Adama to Starbuck in _Flesh And Bone_: "It's my after-action report on Leoben (…) He has an agenda. It's a goal you won't understand until later. Your job is to make sure he doesn't achieve the goal." _

>>

The situation was getting out of control at FTL speed. Six out of ten marines were dead or wounded severely enough that they were out of action. Meanwhile five cylons – probably four of them armed – were shooting from the other side of the room. Kara and Lee were fighting too, but the frakking cylon they had brought with them – the Dualla model – was just sitting on the floor, doing nothing. What advantage was that?

Kara cast a longing glance towards the room her husband was held in. She caught Lee's glance as well – he knew what she was thinking.

"Not yet" he whispered as they hid behind the couch to reload their guns. "Trust me. You do trust me, right?"

"You know I do" she replied. Of course she did, how could he doubt that? She was doing it for him after all, and she would do anything for him. Anything except sacrifice Samuel. What a frakking choice this was! What a mess she's gotten herself into!

They sprung out and started shooting again, Hot Dog's head flashed above the desk. Starbuck aimed and hit it on pure instinct and hatred.

"One more down!" she exclaimed as they hid again.

"Great shot."

"We actually have a chance!"

"No, you don't" came a whisper.

Lee apparently didn't hear it, as he got up and started shooting, but Kara leaned to the still form of Dualla. The cylon was holding her hands to her belly, and Kara realized that her blouse was turning dark red. There were also streaks of red on her fingers. Blood.

Dualla was shot, that was why she wasn't helping them. Kara felt a small pang of guilt because of her earlier reservations. "Are you alright?" she asked, and Dee tightly gripped her hand in response. That reminded Kara that she was actually a thing!

"Do you think they will let you get away with this?" Dualla whispered. "Even if you kill all those who are in this room now – do you think that would be it?"

Kara had to admit she hadn't thought past freeing Sam. But they would come up with some plan to protect Lee later.

"They will come back for him" Dee confirmed her thoughts, nodding toward Lee, who had just taken cover again.

He looked at the two women, and noticed Dee's wound. No words passed, but he knew the injury was fatal; she was soon to be downloaded and most likely boxed. There was nothing to say or do, so he just returned to trying to send away as many of the skin-jobs as possible with her.

"There is a way, though" Dee whispered to Kara, her gaze glued to the man she loved – and wanted to protect at all costs. "There is a way to stop them pursuing you, or at least a way to delay this, give you some time, maybe even let you escape." Dee talked quickly, hoping to convince Kara, knowing that her time was limited. But the talking drained her, and she started coughing, her whole body shaking in pain.

"Another Hot-Dog down" said Lee, bending down behind the couch. "The scales are tipping in our favor; there's just Leoben, Simon and Ellen Tigh, who is not shooting. How is she?" he nodded toward Dee, whose eyes were closed, and who was gasping for breath.

"Bad" Kara answered, somehow guessing that Dualla didn't want to discuss the backup plan with Lee. She waited for him to go back to shooting.

Lee cast a glance at the women's joined hands and nodded, as if allowing Kara to stay with the dying cylon. That was so odd! Dee had hardly been Kara's friend when she was undercover, when everybody thought she was human. In fact, Kara had disliked her this past year. Now she finally had a true rational reason to hate this thing, and yet she kneeled there, holding its hand, trying to ease the pain of passing away.

No, the only reason Kara sat there was because this thing claimed to have an idea how to protect Lee, and that idea might soon perish if the thing died.

"What should we do?" she nagged the cylon.

Dualla's eyes snapped open, and she gazed around, recognizing her surroundings with visible difficulty. "Lee…" she whispered, gathering her thoughts. "They want the next generation… of hybrids. That's what I…was here for. But he did not love me… He loves you…" Dualla started coughing again, and Kara waited for her to continue, struggled to remain patient. She needed some specific instructions, some conclusion, but as she waited…the conclusion came to her like a lightning blow.

Lee sat behind the couch once more. "Simon is down" he said, but Kara didn't register that, as she stared in those lovely blue eyes of his.

He loved her, yes. She knew that. During the past year a part of her had remembered his jealousy of Baltar, his kiss when she returned, his accidental confession on the _Astral Queen_…and his generosity when he let her go to get Anders back. At that time she thought he did that because he'd been with Dualla and didn't care, but deep inside she knew that only out of true love can one set the other free.

She loved him too. Even though she was with Sam, there were moments when she dreamt what would happen if…if things could be different.

But this - having his child because it could save him from torture and death?

Kara always worked best on instinct and natural response. Thinking could only get her in trouble, so she stopped thinking and sprung from behind the couch, her hands raised above her head.

"Kara, whatta…" Lee hissed, but she ignored him.

"Stop shooting!" she yelled. "I have an offer to make!"

The shooting stopped, and the silence that fell almost hurt her ears.

"I'm listening" Leoben said, also standing up. A female hand tugged at his sleeve, trying to get him back down, but he shook it off, and gazed at Kara with a frown.

She cast one final glance at the door to the back room, seeing Sam in her mind's eye and hoping he would understand and forgive her. "I'll give you the next generation of hybrids" she said.

"You'll give us the next generation of hybrids?" Leoben repeated, in a doubtful tone.

"This is what you want isn't it – to breed?"

"It's not how we planned it though" he replied. "We wanted to mix him with us."

"But this is all you get" Kara hissed. "Take it, or go, get downloaded." She indicated three marines, that were aiming at him. He was in no position to argue.

"Kara, don't do this!" Lee objected. He held her arm, trying to get her to listen, bus she shrugged him off.

"My womb is my choice" she barked in response. "I do frakking love you Adama, and you love me, so your cylon protocols will have me impregnated with ease. And they will frak off you, me, and our baby. You get that?" she turned back to Leoben. "There will be no experiments on either hybrid. Ever. You promise that to me now."

"And you're sure I'll keep my word" Leoben mocked, but he quickly nodded, seeing the look on Kara's face. "You get half a year to get pregnant" he said. "We gave Number Nine a year, but our patience is in small supply lately. We'll be checking up on you. Would you please airlock me now?" the mockery was not gone from his voice.

>>

"You just said that to buy us time, right?" Lee asked after Leoben was disposed into space and they were marching down to the Commander's quarters to meet with Sam.

"That's tempting Adama" she replied. "Having a child is the last thing I want, and we can give up on the idea once we're sure they are not following us. Right now though, we do not have the luxury."

"Alright, so we'll have a baby. And then what are you planning?" Lee pursued. He just couldn't believe this was going to happen. That was beyond insane. Not that "beyond insane" was unusual with Kara.

"Right now I'm not planning anything..." she spat, and he cut in with a very eloquent remark:

"Right."

"Listen!" She turned to him, annoyed as rarely. "Right now I'm thinking how I am supposed to tell my husband about all this. You know, you may be the center of the world, and all our affairs may be revolving around you, but I used to have a life! And a part of that life is going to be turned upside down right now, because Starbuck is going to have to save Apollo's ass once more! So if you could give me a few moments to think! All by myself! Without your constant moaning and whining! Then maybe I would come up with an idea."

Lee tried to interrupt her several times during that speech, but he gave up eventually, and now that she finished – he just stared at her with his eyebrows raised.

"I hear that Leoben has been airlocked?" a calm, husky voice interrupted them, before Lee could come up with a worthy response. They turned to his father simultaneously.

"Yes, sir!" Starbuck answered first.

Adama's eyes assessed her, and then he nodded lightly. "Thank you. For your trust."

Starbuck sighed, taken aback by this show of exposure. But they were in the middle of _Pegasus _corridor, so there wasn't really room for the truth. "You earned it" she whispered. "Both of you."

"Good to hear that from you, Starbuck." The Admiral closed the subject, and turned all business. "But right now we need to focus on the possible battle ahead."

Lee sighed with relief. It was reassuring to see his father so in control again. Right after his secret was out in the open, he seemed a little off, but now he was "the Admiral" again.

"You may have killed those cylons that were onboard _Pegasus_" the older Adamam continued, "and we still have one more – Hot Dog – to airlock. But you didn't seriously think they will let you get away that easily?"

"Actually, sir" Lee decided he had to be the one to explain this. "We... well, Starbuck... bought us some time. I think we need to discuss it elsewhere though. And by the way" he added. "We have one more cylon, that was taken to the brig. We thought we needed _you _to decide her fate; we believe it's Number Two."

>>

Ellen Tigh said she was to be the one to oversee if the humans – namely Starbuck and Apollo – were carrying out the terms of the peace treaty. Her conditions were: (1) to be released from the brig and (2) her husband was not informed of what she was. The latter could not be complied with; her husband wasn't offended though – just shocked.

Lee tried to convince Kara to only pretend they were making babies. But in order to do that she had to include Samuel on the plan, which complicated matters in her marriage. She also had to move out of her and her husband's quarters and move in to Lee's, which complicated matters even more.

Lee, Kara and Will decided to keep the secret of the Adama's identity. Ellen Tigh promised not to reveal that to anyone in the Fleet, but who could trust Ellen Tigh? The Admiral started regretting not airlocking her the very same day he made that decision, but then his unfailing friend Saul helped him – blackmailing Ellen that he would leave her if she ever slipped up. The love between the Tighs was weird, because it definitely existed, though never resulted in children, so for cylon standards it was rather surprising.

Cally's and Galen's son was growing into a fine young man, and Hera was growing into a fine young Isis under the care of Maya, though only a few people knew their whereabouts. Admiral Adama tried to force the newly elected President Roslin to tell him the truth, but she was one stubborn woman.

The identity of a female cylon Number Twelve remained a mystery.

>>

"So. Are you satisfied now?"

"Please, Seven. Why the sarcasm? You're emulating human emotions now?"

"No. I'm simply asking – was it worth it? We lost almost all agents with this. We only have Number Threes undercover now, and none of them have ever been on our side."

"Threes and Twelves, don't forget. But Threes are so pragmatic, aren't they?"

"You're avoiding to answer my question, Four."

"I'm not avoiding anything, Seven. I was hoping this would not require that much sacrifice – I thought that simply adding Nine to the equation was enough to wake Starbuck's jealousy and start this – let's say: chain reaction – leading to the results we have now. But those two are stubborn, aren't they? They'd never get together if they weren't sledge-hammered to."

"Even though they love each other…"

"That's the absurdity of human emotions. Of love in particular. And the love between Starbuck and Apollo is the most…as they'd say – frakked up – in the Universe. Absurd. But now they have no choice. And we made that happen. Congratulations Seven."

"Well…I'll congratulate you once the next generation of hybrids is born."

"Oh, it will be. It will. Trust me."

>>

The End.

As this story came to a conclusion now, I would like to thank everyone for reading it. And great many thanks to all who reviewed – especially to: laurie31, LiMiYa, starbuck042786, Evilclone, Ammonite, Yadira, pilotlover, straprincess21, gray03, ash234 and Sairs J. You made me want to write more, and in some cases you even shaped this story.

Please, don't hesitate to say a few words now, I'll be happy with any comments. And I hope I'll make you happy with more of my stories in the future.

-yannik-


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